Owner: St. Francis protected animals during fire

The owner of Zoosiana said St. Francis was protecting the zoo’s animals while a fire blazed in a nearby building Saturday. 

The fire happened 10:30 p.m. Saturday night in a building that houses the zoo’s concession stand and train depot. At the time of arrival, the depot and train were fullly engulfed in flames, and Broussard Fire Chief Bryan Champagne said Sunday the building was a total loss, but did not expect foul play to be a factor in the cause of the fire.  

But according to a post from the Diocese of Lafayette, one of the few items saved in the midst of the fire was a statue of St. Francis. 

The owner of the zoo, George Oldenburg, discovered the statue unscathed Sunday morning amid the smoldering ashes, according to the diocese.

“I got goosebumps when I saw it. I mean, it’s unbelievable! The Holy Spirit was here protecting my animals, that’s for sure,” Oldenburg, who is a parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Broussard, said in the statement. 

The diocese said Oldenburg had no idea what was going on until he received a phone call late Saturday night. “When I opened up my eyes, all of my windows were glowing orange. It was a panic situation,” he said.

The diocese said that the area where the fire was burning was only feet away from the giraffe and monkey enclosures. Oldenburg said his main concern was for the animals. 

“They’re trapped in enclosures. I was prepared to start releasing them. I’d rather see them run free than have a death like that. I was ready to drive my truck through the fence to release them,” Oldenburg said.

Francis of Assisi is an Italian Catholic saint who lived from 1182 to 1226, and is considered by Catholics to be the patron saint of animals.

“I believe I had a miracle. It’s been so dry around here. It would have been easy for the fire to engulf the whole zoo,” Oldenburg said. “We’re surrounded by bamboo and wooden walkways. It’s a miracle it didn’t all go up. Why the flames stopped right there, I think it’s because of St. Francis. He was protecting the animals.”

According to the diocese,  the zoo remains open despite the loss of the train and depot. The area is closed off and the rest of the zoo remains fully functional. Oldenburg plans to rebuild the train depot and replace the train. 

He’s also considering creating a special place within the zoo for the statue of St. Francis.