Sleeping Calif. boy bitten by snake that apparently had been living inside wall

BELL GARDENS, Calif. – A 15-year-old boy was bit by a snake that poked its head from a wall heater in his Bell Gardens apartment. Arturo Lopez told City News Service that he was sleeping early Tuesday when he felt something on his hand that bit him. Firefighters examined the teen and found that he hadn't been bitten by a poisonous snake.

The snake was two to three feet long and apparently had belonged to a previous tenant who had a pet snake that got loose. Animal control officials believe the snake had been living in the wall and inside the heater for about two months.