Texas man finds 6-foot-long rat snake in fireplace

TRINITY COUNTY, Texas – It definitely wasn't what one Trinity County man expected to find in his fireplace.

Gary David Antley said he heard a loud noise in the middle of the night, and when he went to check it out, found a 6-foot-long Texas rat snake that had dropped down the chimney of his home.

Antley said he grabbed some barbecue tongs, gritted his teeth and went for it.

WATCH: Snake found in fire place

When he grabbed the snake by its neck, it got tangled in the fireplace's mesh curtain but, eventually, Antley worked it free.

A snake expert said it was an unusual occurrence, but that the snake could have gotten in from a nearby tree that had a branch over the chimney.