Fire at exotic pet store causes $200k in damage: Hamilton Fire Department

The Hamilton Fire Department responded to a fire at an exotic pet store on Main Street East early Friday morning.

Firefighters say the fire at 627 Main St. E caused approximately $200,000 in damage but was maintained to one unit of the building.

With the assistance of Animal Control services, 10 reptiles were removed from the affected unit. The condition of the animals is unknown to the fire department.

Authorities say there were no occupants in the unit at the time of the fire.

Firefighters believe the cause to be electrical related.

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The Hamilton Dream Center, located in the same building, has announced they are temporarily closing due to the fire.

In a post on Facebook later Friday they said, “the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the impact on our operations is substantial. As a result, all programs and services will be paused until further notice.”

The Dream Center says they will share updates in the coming days regarding recovery efforts, temporarily solutions and ways the community can support the rebuilding process.

According to the post, some animals were lost in the fire. But the Dream Center cat, Lady Marmalade, was rescued and is recovering well.

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