Couple heats pizza, accidentally bakes snake in oven

A couple was surprised when heating pizza brought out a foul stench—and a charred snake. INQUIRER.net Stock Photo

A couple from North Carolina in the United States was cooking up some pizza for their family when they mistakenly baked a snake.

Robert and Amber Helm popped a frozen pizza in the oven last Dec. 30 and were surprised when the oven began to smoke in 10 minutes. A foul stench wafted into the air, which they discovered came from a burnt snake, Raleigh News and Observer reported on Jan. 1.

Amber took their young sons, ages 3 and 1, out of the kitchen, while Robert handled removing the “crispy critter” and putting the oven on self-clean. The snake was an estimated 18 inches long.

“I was queasy and it was creepy… [The smell was] not good,” the dad of two told WRAL TV in a Dec. 31 report.

Amber expressed sadness at the snake’s demise. “That’s a sad way to go for any living thing,” she said to News and Observer. She also advised on Facebook last Jan. 2 to turn on lights before preheating.

The family ended up forgoing the pizza and went out for food. They have avoided using the oven, with the concerned parents hoping to bring experts to determine how a snake entered the oven.  Niña V. Guno /ra

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