“I don’t think there was any maliciousness involved on the snake’s side,” the Bedford County fire marshal said of the incident
NEED TO KNOW
- Teacher Brittany Jacobs denies her python Nanner caused a fire that damaged eight classrooms and killed a tortoise
- Jacobs says all reptiles were secured in locked tanks and heat fixtures were properly installed before the fire
- “I have never had an animal escape or have any lights/heat emitters cause any fire damage,” she said
A Virginia teacher is denying claims that her 8-foot python is the reason behind a devastating school fire.
After a fire was sparked at Forest Middle School in Forest, Va. on Aug. 13 just before 1 a.m., Brittany Jacobs spoke out to defend her snake, Nanner. The teacher shared she has “spent some time contemplating on how to address what is currently going on in my teaching career,” in a lengthy social media post shared to Facebook on Aug. 15.
Jacobs, who spent 18 years teaching and went to college to be a veterinarian and study reptiles, said she pivoted to education after her mother and brother died within six months of each other.
“In my 18 years of teaching I have always had reptiles, of many different types, in my classroom. I’ve had snakes, frogs, turtles, tortoises, and have even hatched baby turtles,” she wrote, later adding, “In those 18 years I have never had an animal escape or have any lights/heat emitters cause any fire damage.”…