HUNTINGTON BEACH : Pet Boa Constrictor Resssssssssuscitated

The hiss of life?

In an unusual twist on lifesaving, a firefighter Thursday used resuscitation to revive a 7-foot boa constrictor that was overcome by smoke in a condominium fire.

“I’ve been in the Fire Department 13 years, and something like this is the first for me,” department spokeswoman Birgit Davis said Thursday.

Here’s how the snake was rescued, according to Davis:

Firefighters received a call about 9:25 a.m. Thursday about a fire at a condominium at 17111 B St. A defective bedroom lamp apparently started the fire. No people were inside the smoke-filled condo, but firefighters found that the boa, a pet that lived in an aquarium, had passed out from smoke.

“The motionless reptile appeared dead,” Davis said. “However, Bill Ogden, one of the Huntington Beach paramedics, did not give up yet. He tried to revive the snake by holding an oxygen mask over its mouth and stroking its head. In only a few short minutes, the snake began to move its head and parts of its enormous body.”

The snake subsequently was taken to a veterinarian for further treatment, but the outlook appeared good for the reptile, fire officials said.

The condo blaze was extinguished in about five minutes, and damage was estimated at $15,000, Davis said.

She added that there is probably a downside to heroism for snake-rescuer Ogden. “I’m sure he got some kidding about it,” she said.