WASHINGTON — These little guys must have been shellshocked.
The consequences of a large fire that engulfed several town houses under construction in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on Wednesday could have been much worse. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries — and two eastern box turtles caught in the flames’ path were saved.
![Two eastern box turtles would have been toast were it not for the quick thinking of Park Ranger Michael Ellis. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image009.jpg)
!["I managed to move two turtles to safety before the flames engulfed the forest at the end of Aerospace Road and Forbes Boulevard," Ellis said in a news release. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image008.jpg)
![Two eastern box turtles were saved from a fire Wednesday by a Park Ranger. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image011.jpg)
![Brush fires were sparked by the massive blaze hundreds of yards away. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image007.jpg)
![The cause of the fire in Prince George's County, Maryland, remains unknown. (Courtesy Prince George's Fire and EMS)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_0582.jpg)
![](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_7472-941x1254.jpg)
![Two eastern box turtles would have been toast were it not for the quick thinking of Park Ranger Michael Ellis. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image009-260x174.jpg)
!["I managed to move two turtles to safety before the flames engulfed the forest at the end of Aerospace Road and Forbes Boulevard," Ellis said in a news release. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image008-260x174.jpg)
![Two eastern box turtles were saved from a fire Wednesday by a Park Ranger. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image011-260x174.jpg)
![Brush fires were sparked by the massive blaze hundreds of yards away. (Courtesy Michael Ellis)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/image007-260x174.jpg)
![The cause of the fire in Prince George's County, Maryland, remains unknown. (Courtesy Prince George's Fire and EMS)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_0582-260x174.jpg)
![](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_7472-260x174.jpg)
The two reptiles were discovered by Park Ranger Michael Ellis, who spotted them while surveying the area around the fast-moving fire in Lanham.
“I managed to move two turtles to safety before the flames engulfed the forest at the end of Aerospace Road and Forbes Boulevard,” Ellis said in a news release.
“Hopefully no people or creatures were harmed in [Wednesday’s] massively destructive fire!”
Eastern box turtles are known to live for dozens of years, and they inhabit a relatively small territory during that time.
According to Prince George’s Fire and EMS, the cause of the blaze remains unknown but damage from the fire is estimated at $8.9 million.
There is no word on whether the turtles were teenagers, mutants or were considering fighting crime.