8-foot python named Nanner blamed by officials for Virginia school fire; teacher says snake is innocent

U.S. news8-foot python named Nanner blamed by officials for Virginia school fire; teacher says snake is innocent“The snake contributed to starting the fire,” the fire marshal said. “However, I don’t think there was any maliciousness involved on the snake’s side.”Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00The escaped python snake at Forest Middle School in Virginia.Forest Fire DepartmentShareAdd to GoogleAug. 18, 2026, 11:57 AM EDTBy Minyvonne BurkeFirefighters battling a blaze at a Bedford County, Virginia, middle school encountered more than just smoke. Hiding underneath a desk in a classroom was an 8-foot python that fire officials now say started the inferno. But a life science teacher who took ownership of the snake, named Nanner, has hit back at those claims, saying the fire was an accident and was not hers or anyone else’s fault. “I am devastated for many reasons right now — all of my teaching tools are now gone, many children will now not have the opportunities that many others have had, 18 years of teaching material is gone,” Brittany Jacobs said in a Facebook post. “I never wanted this for my school, my admin, or my county.”She insists Nanner broke out of her tank after the fire already started and fled the classroom to escape the heat.“She pushed on the screen so hard to get out that she bent the metal locks ... She left the room because it was so hot in there. So hot that it melted the tank next to hers,” Jacobs wrote.Jacobs, who works at Forest Middle School, said in her post that she went to college to be a veterinarian, specializing in reptiles, and has been a teacher for 18 years. She said she uses the animals in her classroom as a teaching tool. “In those 18 years I have never had an animal escape or have any lights/heat emitters cause any fire damage,” she wrote. Jacobs and the school did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Crews were called to the school just before 1 a.m. on Thursday for a report of a fire alarm g...