LONDON — There are probably quite a few advantages to keeping an 8-foot-long snake as a pet — we imagine it would make a pretty effective guard dog, for one thing — but there are also some inevitable problems.

Billy the boa constrictor recently caused something of an uproar after he decided to investigate the inside of his owner's gas fire — only to get himself well and truly stuck.

Gainsborough Fire Station — who had to be called to the scene to help free Billy — shared the following images on Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Not everyday you go to a snake rescue! But Billy the boa constrictor needed some help to get out of this tight spot. pic.twitter.com/ftniKduVCO — Gainsborough Fire (@GainsboroughFRS) June 28, 2016

"The owner lets Billy roam around the living room to stretch its legs, as it were!" Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue worker Andrew Thorpe told the BBC.

"He usually curls around the pouffe, but the owner turned her back for a minute and it got in a tiny hole under the fire!"

Here are some mildly disturbing closeups of Billy being removed.

That fireplace definitely doesn't look big enough to accommodate a snake. Image: twitter/@gainsboroughfrs

This man is putting on a brave face, but he's silently weeping on the inside. Image: twitter/@gainsboroughfrs

Seriously, how did it get in there? Image: twitter/@gainsboroughfrs

Oh, Billy. What will you do next? Image: twitter/@gainsboroughfrs

The whole thing looked like a much, much creepier version of that magic trick where the magician pulls a super-long handkerchief from his pocket.

Billy was apparently a bit shaken up by the incident, but fortunately he came out of it unscathed.

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