A five-year-old turtle believed dead in a fire that destroyed an apartment building crawled away from the rubble and was reunited with its owner on Sunday night.

Leonardo the turtle escaped the blaze with little injury, shocking his owner Loreena Hrechka, who lost everything she owned in the fire.

"There was caked-on debris and burnt stuff, but his shell wasn't burnt. I was so shocked," she said.

"I don't know how he got out. It is literally still burning," she said in an interview late Sunday night.

Flin Flon fire Chief Chad Cooper said he was surprised to learn the turtle made it out alive.

"Despite all the damage and everything — it's actually quite a miracle," he said.

The fire Saturday destroyed the apartment building and was still smouldering Sunday evening. (Submitted by Loreena Hrechka)

Hrechka said when she got home Saturday night and found her apartment building on fire, a firefighter told her it was too late to save her turtles — when they entered her suite, the roof started to cave in and they had to get out.

"I just thought my turtles [were] in that tank and just ended up dying."

Her next-door neighbour phoned her Sunday night and told her to come over right away, Hrechka said. When she arrived, there was Leonardo.

Second turtle still missing

She said she has no idea if her second turtle, April O'Neil, is alive in the rubble or if it died in the blaze.

"I'm trying to be hopeful, hoping for the best. She's my girl."

There were five people living in the building, Hrechka said.

She doesn't have fire insurance. She thanked Flin Flon residents for offering to help.

"We literally lost everything we own."​

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but is not considered suspicious.