KOAA (Pueblo, Colorado) 03 January 09 Man saves hundreds of snakes from burning home
David Neverett, his wife, son and a friend had little time to escape their burning house early Saturday morning.
“As we were leaving, I said ‘Man, we have about five minutes to get out of here and I said what can we get? We got to get the snakes,’” he said.
He scooped up about 200 of them. As a local pet shop owner, he was breeding them for sale this spring. Some cost about $10,000.
As fire crews worked to put out the blaze that started in his garage, Neverett got to work too, putting the snakes in garbage cans and then pillowcases.
"He asked me for a board and I said, ‘what do you need the board for?’” said Mary Farkas, a neighbor who lives across the street. He said ‘I have my snakes in there’ and I said ‘I'll help you find a board,” he said.
Farkas is now taking care of 100 exotic turtles and says it's the least she can do. “’He said 'It's strange, I don't have a home to go to.’” she said.
Neverett says what's most important is that everyone's okay. The snakes will now live at his store. With a little TLC, and some help from a humidifier he thinks they'll be okay too.
“There's always something good that comes out of something bad,” he said.
Man saves hundreds of snakes from burning home