Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 14

Sanskrit:

न शेके सोऽवितुं तत्र पुरुकृच्छ्रोरुवेपथु: ।गन्तुमैच्छत्ततो वृक्षकोटरादिव सानलात् ॥ १४ ॥

ITRANS:

na śeke so ’vituṁ tatrapuru-kṛcchroru-vepathuḥgantum aicchat tato vṛkṣa-koṭarād iva sānalāt

Translation:

As a serpent living within the cavity of a tree wishes to leave when there is a forest fire, so the city’s police superintendent, the snake, wished to leave the city due to the fire’s severe heat.

Purport:

It becomes very difficult for snakes to leave a forest when there is a fire. Other animals may flee due to their long legs, but serpents, only being able to crawl, are generally burnt in the fire. At the last stage, the limbs of the body are not as much affected as the life air.