Thirteen patas monkeys died in a fire at a British safari park 45 miles from London, officials said Tuesday. Photo courtesy Woburn Safari Park

Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A fire that broke out at a safari park in Britain has killed more than a dozen patas monkeys, officials said Tuesday.

The blaze began in the monkey house in the drive-through portion of Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire, about 45 miles northwest of London.


"None of the 13 animals could be saved," a park statement said. "All other animals within the jungle drive-through enclosure are being monitored, but early signs suggest that they have not been affected."

Park spokesman Drew Mullin said it appears a generator fault was the cause of the fire.

"They are devastated," he said of the monkeys' caretakers. "They build up a bond with the animals."

Nicola O'Brien, a campaign manager for The Captive Animals' Protection Society, said the fire is an example of the dangers animals are exposed to in captivity.

"It's just one of the risks of having animals trapped in cages. It must have been an absolutely horrific death for them," O'Brien said. "Obviously accidents do happen, but we do think it calls into question the whole point of why we place animals in captivity in the first place."

The monkeys shared a 16-acre exhibit with Barbacy macaques and a herd of Eastern Mountain antelope.

Ground-dwelling Patas monkey are found in open grasslands in central, western and eastern Africa and can run as fast as 35 mph, making them the fastest primates in the world.