Rutherford County, TN - Rutherford County Fire and Rescue Department responded to a garage fire on Monday, May 15, 2023 on Banks Street in Murfreesboro. No people were injured.

RCFR and the Almaville Volunteer Fire Department responded to the residential structure fire at approximately 11:30 am this past Monday. Units found heavy smoke coming from a detached garage. Crews extinguished the fire and determined no people were in the garage, but what was in the garage were a large number of snakes, some that were possibly exotic.

Fire officials confirmed with WGNS that there were multiple animals in the garage that included snakes and chickens, but did not give an exact number of reptiles or birds. A nearby neighbor told WGNS they knew little about the property,  but had heard about the large number of snakes and feared some of the larger ones believed to be in the outbuilding may have escaped the fire and slithered into the woods. Fire and rescue confirmed that several of the animals perished in the blaze and that firefighters assisted the owner in capturing and removing the animals and transferring them to a safe area.

The investigation was performed by the Rutherford County Fire Marshal’s Office and the cause of the fire was Ruled accidental.