A fire has damaged part of the Canberra Reptile Zoo.
The blaze started before 8.30am on Monday in a goanna nesting area, outside of the zoo's main building.
Smoke from the fire engulfed the rest of the Gold Creek zoo.
Fire and rescue crews are investigating the cause of the fire, but zoo staff say they believe the fire started from a heat lamp in the goanna nesting area, which is only used at night.
The alarm was first raised by a zoo employee on an early-morning shift.
The employee was then treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation, and was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
The fire was then extinguished by emergency crews around 9.30am.
The zoo's founder and owner, Peter Child, said all of the animals had been accounted for, and a vet was treating animals for smoke inhalation.
"We're very lucky and fortunate that it wasn't worse," Mr Child said.
"It's another set back for us."
The two goannas inside the nesting area at the time of the blaze were safe, with one sustaining a laceration to the face.
The zoo was closed to the public for more than an hour, before it re-opened to visitors.
"There's minimal damage to the outside of the building, but none of the animals were seriously hurt," Mr Child said.
The fire at the reptile zoo comes after two snakes and a crocodile were stolen from the zoo in July.
Police are still investigating the animal theft, but have yet to recover the stolen reptiles.
Zoo director Derek Child said the blaze was the first fire at the zoo since it began, but said the animals were resilient.
"It's been pretty unfortunate for the zoo," Mr Child said.
"It's too early to think about what to do to repair [the nesting area]. The goannas rely on it to sleep at night. They move in there on cold nights
"There was just so much smoke."
