LONDON — The London Zoo reopened on Sunday after more than 70 firefighters battled a blaze that destroyed a gift shop and cafe, killed an aardvark and left some staff members suffering from smoke inhalation, the zoo said.

Four missing meerkats were presumed dead, the zoo said.

The zoo, in Regent’s Park in central London, which was shut to visitors, reopened “after consultation with fire experts,” the zoo said on Sunday.

The fire broke out shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday local time in the Animal Adventure section, the zoo said in a statement.

Half a petting zoo and an adjacent gift shop and cafe were destroyed, according to the London Fire Brigade.