Fourteen people were treated for smoke inhalation after the factory they were working at burnt down this morning. Exact detail to the cause of the fire is still speculative and will remain a subject for police investigation.
Netcare 911, provincial paramedics and the fire services arrived at the scene in Verulam to find the factory engulfed in flames. Firemen immediately started to fight the blaze while medics had their hand full treating the workers for smoke inhalation.
A Fireman noticed that at the entrance to the factory two Anacondas’ was trapped in a cage, quick thinking from him saved the lives of the two snakes. In the cage was a plastic container that the snakes had taken cover in, he filled this with fresh water keeping them protected from the heat.
After the fire was extinguished I assisted the owner to remove the snakes, once I examined them it was found that their airways had been covered with the black residue from the smoke. The owner was informed to take them to a local vet for further treatment.
