Fire destroys taxidermy shop in Ucon

A taxidermy and tanning business in Ucon was severely damaged by a fire early Tuesday morning.

The fire was reported at 1:21 a.m. at the Eagle Rock Fur Company, 11053 N Yellowstone Hwy. It took firefighters 2 hours to put the fire out.

The entire roof of the building was engulfed and collapsed, firefighters said.

The Ucon Fire Chief said the fire destroyed several animal carcasses inside the building.

A state Fire Marshall was called to investigate the cause of the fire. They have ruled out arson, but still trying to determine what started it.

The business owner, Brian Birch, said he’s been in business for over 25 years.

Birch said he is now worried about the future of his 7 employees.

One of the animals in the building was a black bear. The bear was owned by one of the firefighters who helped fight the fire.

The were also several exotic animals inside, as well.