An appeals court reinstated a suit alleging that a botched repair job on a heating system in a structure used to house rare and valuable tortoises caused the deaths of 23 of the reptiles and injured several others.

The owner, Stuart Salenger, contended that due to the mishandling of repairs to a glass furnace, temperatures rose high as 110 degrees before the problem was discovered in the Forestburgh, Sullivan County building. Salenger’s complaint sought $2.83 million in compensatory damages.