Teacher Insists 8-Foot Python Blamed for School Fire Is Innocent

An 8-foot python has been accused of starting a fire at a Virginia middle school, but the snake’s owner insists it escaped after the blaze began. Firefighters responded to Forest Middle School in Bedford County just before 1 a.m. on Thursday and found smoke and water pouring from the second floor. Inside a classroom, crews discovered the 8-foot-long python, named Nanner, hiding beneath a desk. The Fire Marshal’s Office said investigators believe Nanner escaped its enclosure and knocked over a heat lamp, sparking the fire. “The snake contributed to starting the fire,” the fire marshal told WDBJ. “However, I don’t think there was any maliciousness involved on the snake’s side.” Life science teacher Brittany Jacobs disputed that account, saying Nanner broke free to escape the heat after the fire started. “She pushed on the screen so hard to get out that she bent the metal locks,” Jacobs wrote on Facebook. “She left the room because it was so hot in there.” Jacobs said she was “devastated” after losing 18 years of teaching materials. Eight classrooms suffered water damage, and a tortoise was killed in the fire. Jacobs has since removed all animals from her classroom.

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