Turtle that survived fire reunited with owner

Out of the ashes of the Iconic Village and Vintage Pads apartment fire, at least one story of a happy reunion has emerged. Iconic Village resident Elise Rosen was reunited with her pet turtle, Holst, almost a week after the fire.

“I’m really lucky that they found him,” Rosen said.

Holst, named after the composer Gustav Holst, is a red-eared slider that has been Rosen’s pet for about two and a half years. Firefighters found Holst and took the turtle to the San Marcos Animal Shelter, who contacted Rosen last week. 

Rosen lived in the 500 building at Iconic Village, the building most heavily affected by the July 20 fire that left five people dead, at least seven people injured and about 200 displaced. She said she was not at home when the fire broke out, which is why she wasn’t able to rescue Holst.

“My roommate and one of my friends was there,” she said. “My friend was staying the night because he had new student orientation the next day at Texas State.”

Two members of an agency assisting in the investigation carry out Holst the turtle, safe in his aquarium. City of San Marcos photo

Rosen said she was staying with her boyfriend in Buda, with her dog, when she got an early morning phone call from the friend who was staying at her apartment.

“He called me at about 4:25, 4:30 in the morning,” Rosen said. “Me and my boyfriend jumped in my car and we drove down and we got there about 4:40, 4:45. … Everything was on fire.”

Rosen said she was keeping an eye on her room as the fire burned and saw smoke, but no flames, coming from her window. Holst was in a water tank right by the windowsill, she said, so she had hope that he would be okay. 

During the fire, Rosen said, she asked some first responders if someone could go in and look for Holst, but, “They were fighting the fire.”

Rosen said she returned to the apartment site a few times and spoke with the fire marshal, who said that fire had touched every room in the 500 building and that most pets probably didn’t make it. However, since Holst was under water and near a window, he survived. 

Rosen noted that he had some problems with his eyesight for the first few days he was home but, “He’s getting better each day. He’s getting back to his usual self.”

Besides Holst, Rosen said, her roommate and friend made it out of the fire unscathed — something she is grateful for.

“I’m so lucky,” she said.