Krefeld. After the serious New Year’s fire in the monkey house of the Krefeld zoo, several people have reported to the police who are considered to be the cause of the fire. Those concerned had contacted the investigators after a press conference on the big fire in the city in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Krefeld police headquarters said on Wednesday.
They had been questioned and their information was now being checked. Since this will take some time, “no further information on the facts and the suspects will be released,” the message said. In addition, the fire site was examined with an expert. The result is expected for Thursday.
More than 30 monkeys, including eight great apes, had died in the fire on New Year’s Eve. Two chimpanzees were saved slightly injured. A spread to neighboring facilities of the Krefeld Zoo was prevented, but according to the fire brigade “nothing could be saved” at the monkey house.
The fire was probably triggered by so-called sky lanterns. Witnesses testified that on New Year’s Eve they saw such lanterns in the sky around the zoo, said Gerd Hoppmann of the Krefeld criminal police at the press conference. The investigators had also found three such sky lanterns on the ground nearby.
Sky or wish lanterns consist of thin tissue paper and a candle or a container with fuel paste in the middle. If ignited, they can float far through the air. Hoppmann emphasized that the lanterns have been banned in North Rhine-Westphalia since 2009.
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