Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Virginia said a fire that damaged eight classrooms at a middle school was sparked when an escaped python knocked over a heat lamp.
The Forest Fire Department said crews responded to a 12:31 a.m. Thursday fire alarm at Forest Middle School and arrived to find the sprinkler system had been triggered.
The department said on social media that firefighters entered a classroom and "were greeted by an 8-foot python."
"Crews safely secured the python into a temporary holding area until the owner arrived and secured [it] back in its original location," the post said.
The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported.
