The 8-year-old alligator, named Fat Boy, was locked inside its first-floor cage when the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. yesterday (Friday).
Fred Sokoloski and his wife, Kelly, rushed out of the burning house and told firefighters about their trapped pet.
Mike Kuharchik is the fire chief for West Wyoming Hose Company Number 2. He says the floor began to collapse when he cut the cage's lock and Sokoloski wrapped the alligator in a blanket and ran outside.
Sokoloski says Fat Boy's enclosure contained a pool of water that was near boiling.
