The National Zoo is working to upgrade its fire prevention systems after officials say the need is critical.

Only 11 of 87 buildings have fully equipped sprinkler systems, and many don't work properly because of inadequate water main pressure, according to officials. 

Fifteen buildings have no sprinkler systems, including the Great Ape House, the Bird House, the Reptile Discovery Center and the Small Mammal House. Only 21 buildings have fire detection and alarm systems. 

This summer, the zoo plans to begin work on a $1.5 million upgrade to a quarter-mile of an old water main that runs from Adams Mill Road to the veterinary hospital at the zoo's southern end.

Zoo officials say they want to avoid the kind of tragedy that struck the Philadelphia Zoo in 1995, when 23 animals died in a fire inside a zoo enclosure that had no sprinklers.

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