Jan. 05--A manufactured home containing exotic reptiles was consumed with fire Tuesday, killing most of the animal inhabitants according to officials.
Turtle Creek Volunteer Fire Department responded to a call for a fully engulfed structure fire around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of Keith Boulevard, off of Upper Turtle Creek Road. Center Point Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the blaze. When firefighters arrived, the owners of the manufactured home were not inside, and no injuries were reported.
According to Wesley Gordon, chief of the Turtle Creek Volunteer Fire Department, about 20 minutes into fighting the fire, they were cautioned that the house contained exotic reptiles, including venomous snakes and crocodiles.
"Having reptiles that could come out and get you at any time adds a whole other thought process to fighting the fire," he said.
The owner said the home was not used as a residence but as a place to keep the exotic animals he and his wife own. Texas law regulates the keeping of dangerous wild animals and includes big cats, bears, hyenas, coyotes, jackals and monkeys. Reptiles are not listed under the definition of dangerous wild animals.
"We just went about fighting the fire and being cautious," Gordon said.
Chief investigator with the Kerr County Sheriff's Department Carol Twiss said all animals were accounted for after the fire, and workers with The Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife were on hand.
"None got loose," she said. "Most perished in the fire. Our main concern was making sure all animals were accounted for and that nothing illegal was going on."
Twiss said there were only two venomous snakes in the manufactured home. An exact number of animals in the home was not immediately available.
According to Gordon, two crocodiles survived the fire, including one that is 5 feet long. The owners retrieved the animals that survived and put them in other tanks on the property.
Investigators believe the source of the fire was a wood burning pool heater, located inside the manufactured home. The fire was extinguished around 4 a.m. Wednesday, and the home is considered a total loss.
"Do you want to know what it feels like to have your entire life go up in smoke? It sucks," the owner said on the loss of the home and reptiles.
