By JODIE SYMONDS
ABOUT 15 reptiles were killed last night in a fire in a Lilydale High School portable classroom.
Police responded to an alarm at the building that was home to more than 100 reptiles about 12.30am this morning.
Captain Warren Davis of Lilydale CFA said he was surprised at how many reptiles firefighters were able to bring out because he thought all would have perished.
The cause of the fire is unknown and police are conducting an investigation.
Firefighters forced entry to find some reptiles had escaped their enclosures.
“We were unsure of a lot of snakes as we didn’t know if they were venomous or not,” Mr Davis said.
A representative from school attended to confirm the snakes were not harmful.
It is expected that the building will have to be replaced at a cost of about $80,000.
“It’s a bit of a shame because it was such a good thing for the kids,” Mr Davis said.
“If they didn’t have the alarm the damage would have been a lot worse.”
The remaining reptiles and snakes are safe and are now in the care of a Lilydale High School reptile carer.
See next week’s Mail for more details.
