This morning, a house near 144th and Umpire near Brighton was engulfed in flames, and judging by photos on view below, it's a total loss.

Fortunately, no people were hurt as a result of the blaze.

But five dogs reportedly died, and the loss of life could be infinitely greater when it comes to snakes and reptiles in the home -- as many as 8,000 of them.

Continue for the surprising details.

The fire was fought this morning in extremely difficult conditions -- temperatures were around twelve degrees at the time.

CBS4 posted a number of photos that indicate the thoroughness of the destruction. Here's one....

...and here's another: At this writing, CBS4 hasn't named the owners of the home -- but Fox31 reveals that they are Lynn and Ken Kubic, who are identified by the station as "breeders of rare snakes."

That's not all, however. Lynn Kubic's Facebook page lists her as the owner and operator of two affiliated businesses: Colorado Jurassic Pets and Jurassic Pets, Inc.. The Facebook page for the latter, as well as Lynn's personal page, are filled with photos of exotic reptiles -- not just snakes, although there are a lot of them, but also a wide array of lizards. We've shared a sampling of them below.

Another Kubic business, Boas and Balls, features more background about the Kubics in Lynn's "about" section. Here's an excerpt:

My husband Ken and I have been keeping and breeding boas since 1985. We only started breeding ball pythons in 2005, but with all the beautiful combos they make they have taken over. We live in the colorful state of Colorado where we own and run 3 businesses. Boas and Balls, Willard's Rodent Factory and the Rocky Mountain Reptile Expo.

Rocky Mountain Reptile is very much a going concern; its website lists a slew of upcoming shows, with the next one slated for May 11. Also on the home page is this photo of Lynn and a very close friend.

At this writing, we don't know how many reptiles perished in the fire, or which ones might have been lost. But new snakes were coming along all the time, as indicated by this photo posted on March 31 along with a note that reads "JUST HATCHING TODAY:" Continue for more reptile photos and a video from the Rocky Mountain Reptile Expo. Continue for more reptile photos and a video from the Rocky Mountain Reptile Expo. Continue for more reptile photos and a video from the Rocky Mountain Reptile Expo. Continue for more reptile photos and a video from the Rocky Mountain Reptile Expo.

More from our News archive: "Marijuana grow house burns on Happy Jack Road -- and no, we're not making that up."

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