Tortoise scare

Two tortoises are alive and well after a fire scare inside their terrarium late Tuesday night at Trinity Lutheran School in Kalispell.

A custodian smelled burning wood from inside a first-grade classroom at around 11:36 p.m. and called 911.

Kalispell Fire Department was soon on scene and discovered a warming lamp for the two classroom pets had overheated, causing some dry substrate covering the enclosure’s bottom to begin smoldering. There were no flames, only smoke, according to the department.

Nadia, a female, and Yuri, a male, both small Russian tortoises, are both fine, ac

first-grade teacher Suzanne Rasmussen, who owns both tortoises.

Although they might have been a bit traumatized, the reptiles are eating and have adjusted well to the cardboard box in which they are temporarily being housed. Rasmussen anticipated the terrarium would be fixed by today.

Intense heat in part of the terrarium busted out its bottom. However, the enclosure was large enough for the pair to elude the smoldering area until help arrived. Kalispell firefighters found the two tortoises, unharmed, still inside.

“She had a frightening first night,” said Rasmussen, who received Nadia as a birthday gift from her students.

Yuri moved to the classroom a week ago when the class began studying reptiles.

Rasmussen said there have been no past problems with the heat lamp.

She stressed that the incident was accidental.

“I love these little guys,” she said, “I would never do anything to hurt them.”