THOUSANDS of reptiles were killed when a fire ripped through a warehouse in the Tarn town of Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe in the early hours of Sunday.
The 4,000m2 warehouse belongs to Savannah, one of the largest wholesalers of reptiles and turtles in France. According to France 3 Midi Pyrenees, between 20,000 and 30,000 animals died in the blaze. A few turtles were rescued.
The fire was so intense, portions of the property melted - and, as this video from France 3 shows, firefighters were still damping down the remains on Sunday afternoon, 12 hours after they first arrived at the scene.
Photo: France 3 / screengrab