Firefighters wrestle gigantic 8 foot snake from British woman's fireplace

How did it even squeeze itself in there?
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

LONDON -- There are probably quite a few advantages to keeping an 8-foot-long snake as a pet -- we imagine it would make a pretty effective guard dog, for one thing -- but there are also some inevitable problems.

Billy the boa constrictor recently caused something of an uproar after he decided to investigate the inside of his owner's gas fire -- only to get himself well and truly stuck.

Gainsborough Fire Station -- who had to be called to the scene to help free Billy -- shared the following images on Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning.


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"The owner lets Billy roam around the living room to stretch its legs, as it were!" Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue worker Andrew Thorpe told the BBC.

"He usually curls around the pouffe, but the owner turned her back for a minute and it got in a tiny hole under the fire!"

Here are some mildly disturbing closeups of Billy being removed.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable


Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable


Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable


Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The whole thing looked like a much, much creepier version of that magic trick where the magician pulls a super-long handkerchief from his pocket.

Billy was apparently a bit shaken up by the incident, but fortunately he came out of it unscathed.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.


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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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