Fire damages Reptile Gardens shelter, killing tortoises and alligators

RAPID CITY, S.D. - A fire early Friday killed an undetermined number of tortoises and alligators at Reptile Gardens south of Rapid City, according to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

The Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched around 12:40 a.m. to a structure fire at 8955 South Highway 16. Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire and smoke inside a detached agricultural shelter on the property.

Crews made a rapid attack and were able to contain the fire to the building where it started, preventing it from spreading to nearby vegetation, infrastructure and other structures. No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.

Authorities said an unknown number of reptiles housed in the shelter - including tortoises and alligators - died in the fire. The cause remains under investigation.