A house went up in flames Saturday morning in Colorado Springs and inside were hundreds of exotic animals that needed saving.

“I knew I had 5 minutes to save pictures, yearbooks, but what was most valuable in my case, I had to save the animals since I own a pet shop," said homeowner, David Neverette.

Neverette has a pet store but he raises reptiles at home. He was currently raising 200 snakes in his home to breed.

David and his son were on a rescue mission Saturday, the morning of the fire. "We’d pick up a small snake and put it in our pockets. The big snakes we put in trash cans."

While the snakes made it out okay, they also had to rescue exotic turtles.

David's son remembered there was a kitten inside the burning home. "I ran back to the door and I couldn't see a thing. I ran to the back, opened the kennel and grabbed the kitten. When I got back outside, it was like a movie with 20-30 foot flames."

That kitten is doing well and is now staying at the Valley Pet Store, David's shop in Fountain. The snakes are also staying there.

While the family sorted through the mess, David found a sign that didn't burn. It reads, "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."

David laughed. "You get the good and the bad. You can't change it, but you have to accept it." He said the sign will go up in his new home.

The cause of the fire is likely an electrical problem that started in the garage.