Colorado Gator Farm in Alamosa burns early Tuesday, killing several animals

Many animals are dead and a barn has been completely burned at the Colorado Gator Farm near Alamosa after an early morning fire on Tuesday. 

The farm said Tuesday that a fire started about 4:30 a.m. in the reptile barn. No people were hurt but most of the rescue snakes, lizards, tortoises, parrots, and cats died. Three dwarf caimans and several turtles and tortoises were rescued by Mosca-Hooper firefighters. 

All alligators and crocodiles outside the building survived, and flames did not spread to the fish building, where fish, turtles, and sharks live. 

The Mosca-Hooper Fire Department is investigating the cause, but it does not appear suspicious at this time. 

The gator farm posted a statement on its Facebook page that read in part, "Prayers are appreciated. We will get through this. Can't change it we just have to deal with it and go on. The damage is extensive and the cleanup will take a while but we will go on. A huge thanks to Mosca-Hooper Fire Department for keeping it from spreading to other structures and saving what you could. Our heroes."