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The luckiest piglet: Tiny porker is sole survivor of inferno that killed 768 other pigs


By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:20 PM on 30th August 2010

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One little piglet was feeling very lucky today after it emerged it was the only survivor of a huge blaze that killed almost 800 other pigs.

The animal was only saved because it managed to run to the door of the piggery of the Lincolnshire farm when the fire broke out.

Tragically, the other 600 piglets and 168 sows burned to death in the fire, which was caused by an electrical fault in the central unit of three connecting pig sheds.

Northmoor Farm: 600 piglets and 168 sows burned to death in the fire

Firefighters from ten crews took several hours to extinguish the fire but could not prevent it from ripping through the sheds and burning the unit to the ground.

Steve Wright, station manager at Gainsborough Fire Station, part of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the piglet's survival was the only good thing from the blaze.

He said: 'It was a complex case to deal with as it was a rural location, but the crews did an exceptional job to get the fire under control.

'There was a barn full of hay nearby that we had concerns about, but we managed to contain the fire.

'All the crews were touched by the loss of such a large amount of livestock.

'But one good thing was the fact that one little piglet managed to be saved because it had been able to get near the door.

'The owners were visibly upset as you can imagine and we have now offered to work with them to prevent this happening again.'

Unlucky: It is the second time in six months that the farm in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, has suffered a huge blaze

Seven crews were initially called to tackle the fire, which started at 9.45pm on Friday, but it proved so ferocious that another three needed as back up, he added.

It is the second time in six months that Northmoor farm, in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire has suffered a huge blaze, after more than 2,000 pigs perished in a fire at a breeding unit there in February.

The previous fire was also blamed on an electrical fault in the farrowing unit, the area where newborn piglets suckle their mothers.

Local farm worker Darren Schofield, who keeps sheep on the grounds of the farm told of his shock that another blaze had hit the farm.

He said: 'I heard about what happened and came down to see it for myself.

'It's a bad thing to have taken place considering there was a similar fire earlier this year.'

The owners of the farm were unavailable for comment.

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