'Angry' Tortoise Saved After Setting House Ablaze On Christmas

English fire authorities rescued a middle-aged tortoise on Christmas after it allegedly set its house on fire.

Firefighters were called to a home in Great Dunmow, a town about 45 miles northeast of London, after a neighbor heard the smoke alarm going off, the Essex Fire Service said in an incident report.  When authorities arrived on the scene, the house was filled with smoke and there was a fire in one of the rooms.

 “The fire started after the tortoise knocked a heat lamp onto its bedding, which then caught alight,” Gary Wain, watch manager at the Great Dunmow Fire Station, said. “This tortoise has had a very lucky Christmas Day  he is 45 years young and will now hopefully continue to live a long and happy life thanks to working smoke alarms.”

The Essex Fire Service shared an image of the grumpy-looking tortoise and praised fire crews who left their families to tackle the blaze: