CHEEKTOWAGA TIMES (New York) 16 March 06 Unique fire rescue saves snakes, turtles
Firefighters are trained for rescues during many dangerous situations, posing different challenges each time, but South Line and Bellevue firefighters probably didn’t think they would face a rescue situation such as the one they encountered on March 8.
After South Line Assistant Chief Todd Roland arrived and was informed that every person was safely out of the building, he was alerted to a different problem: dozens of reptiles and amphibians were trapped in the basement, where the fire started.
The structure is home to a reptile rehabilitation center, and more than 100 snakes, turtles, iguanas, lizards and other species were housed in the basement.
South Line and Bellevue firefighters used a rear door leading to the basement during recovery efforts while others battled the fire.
South Line Fire Chief Doug Wilkowski said the rescue was one of the most challenging the department has faced.
"The guys are talking about it, that’s for sure," Wilkowski said. "We have some guys who are deathly afraid of snakes."
Many of the creatures had broken loose from their cages and aquariums after they had been knocked over or their tops had burned off. For some firefighters, this was a bit too much for them to handle.
"We had snakes and lizards roaming through the water," Wilkowski said. "Some of the guys came out and said, ‘That’s enough for me!’"
Wilkowski said some of the iguanas or lizards were thought to be up to four feet in length. One snake was believed to be eight or nine feet long and seven inches thick.
Fortunately, two firefighters– one from South Line and one from Bellevue– have pet iguanas of their own and applied their knowledge to retrieve the imperiled animals.
"They weren’t afraid of them like some of the others were," Wilkowski said.
Firefighters used buckets or whatever they could find to contain the creatures.
Nearly three dozen reptiles perished in the blaze, many from smoke inhalation.
South Line firefighters entered the basement and began to attack the fire, but the length of the building– estimated at 80 feet– and the setup of cages and aquariums forced them to use a different approach.
"Some of the cages were five to six feet long and two feet deep," Wilkowski said. "It was a maze down there."
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Unique fire rescue saves snakes, turtles