The quick escape of a stereotypically slow reptile from a shed fire is getting attention on social media. Leo, a female tortoise, tapped into her speedy side to flee flames that engulfed her backyard habitat in Fullerton after a heat lamp tipped over and caught fire.
A video of Leo’s escape shows the tortoise going into what her owners called “sport mode” to get away from her burning shed.
Hyeri Tom and her family, Leo’s owners, were at a Super Bowl party on Sunday, Feb. 8, when an observant neighbor noticed the fire and put it out. When neighbors called her to tell her about the fire, her first thought was Leo. Initially, with Leo’s habitat totally destroyed, the family feared the worst, but a neighbor found her tucked under a bush, much to everyone’s relief.
Later, Tom logged on to look at her security footage and realized Leo’s escape had been caught on camera. Footage shows the tortoise scurrying away from the burning brown shed, which had a sign with her name on the outside. Tom shared the video on social media to show Leo’s speedy escape, but also to bring awareness to the risks of heat lamps.
@leothehomelesstort In all seriousness—thankful beyond words for attentive neighbors who helped put out the fire.
Leo is safe
The heat lamp fell and ignited the substrate. Posting this as a warning to other tortoise owners: secure your heat lamps. This could’ve ended very differently. Also, open to any advice on how to build her house safer. #turbo #tortoisesoftiktok #fire
“When I saw it I chuckled because it’s just so funny how she stopped, looked at the camera a little bit and gave me a stink eye and then walked away,” Tom said.
A heat lamp had been secured to the roof of Leo’s shed, but somehow tipped over and started the fire. Since posting about Leo’s escape, Tom has heard the risks of these lamps echoed by other reptile owners.
“I’ve been reading all the comments of people saying hey, this happened to me too, heat lamps are so dangerous. Like ‘we lost our house,’ ‘we lost our garage.’ So many people are coming out and saying that this is a very common issue with it,” Tom said.
Tom and her family adopted Leo, a 3-year-old tortoise, from a friend a month ago, much to her son’s excitement, as he had been asking for a tortoise. The family soon became charmed by Leo’s “spunky” personality.
“Initially when I tried to feed her with my hand she would not take it, she didn’t trust me. And after a week she literally came out of her shell and she ate from my hand and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh like this is so amazing’,” Tom recalled. “So crazy how attached you can get to a tortoise. I mean it’s not a dog but it’s a tortoise, you can’t cuddle a tortoise but still have that same bond.”
Leo suffered from mild smoke inhalation after the fire, which she is getting treatment for.
“She’s just getting breathing treatment. She’s on antibiotics, some steroids, anti-inflammatory medication and she’s hanging in there,” Tom said.