Feb. 17--Firefighters expected to find flames inside a burning Albany garage this evening, but the animals might have thrown them for a loop.
Crews pulled a snapping turtle and two small alligators from the burning building, located at a duplex in the 2200 block of Mount Vernon Street Southeast, said Wanda Omdahl, a spokeswoman for the Albany Fire Department.
The residents returned home about 7:15 p.m. and heard their smoke alarms going off, Omdahl said. After seeing smoke, they called 9-1-1.
Crews managed to pull the animals out and get them in a bathtub before any were hurt, Omdahl said. A cat named Dottie also managed to escape.
The blaze, which was contained to the garage, caused about $25,000 in damage to the building and $5,000 in damage to contents, officials said. The two residents rented the property.
-- Kate Mather
Copyright 2012 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
