That cold snap a few weeks ago didn’t just kill off tender plants. Thousands of tropical fish in Tempe Town lake also perished. KJZZ’s Al Macias reports.

Thousands of fish in Tempe Town Lake perished during the recent cold snap. (Photo by Al Macias - KJZZ)

The fish are Tilapia, which cannot survive cold weather. Tempe officials say the fish died during the cold snap. They say the majority of the dead fish are from upstream sources, including the Salt River. Recent rains flushed the dead fish into the city’s lake. Now as the fish have begun to decay, they are floating to the surface

The city has brought in private crews to clean up the mess and hope to have the clean-up completed by the end of the week.

A spokeswoman for Tempe says the dead fish pose no heath hazard. Swimming is not allowed in the lake except for special events and there are none scheduled until later in the year.