Lesley Coupar, from the zoo, told BBC Scotland that the alarm went off and the owners went out to see that the reptile house, a corrugated iron building, was ablaze.

BBC: Five Sisters Zoo fire: Animals dead in blaze

Residents pay rent, most houses have kitchens and electricity, and building materials range from flimsy corrugated-iron shacks to permanent, multistorey concrete structures.

BBC: Mumbai: India's Tinseltown

For those who stay behind, the priorities are building tools and materials, especially corrugated-iron sheets, which are in short supply.

ECONOMIST: Many survivors of October's earthquake are still at risk