More than 1,000 pigs were at risk of dying on Kansas highway. Then firefighters stepped in
Firefighters are known for saving kittens stuck in trees, but on Thursday, Overland Park firefighters instead came to the rescue of a trailer filled with baby pigs.
Firefighters hosed down the trailer of more than 1,000 baby pigs when the truck they were traveling in stalled Thursday on an Overland Park highway, leaving the pigs exposed to dangerous heat.
Crews responded just before 11 a.m. to U.S. 69 Highway just north of 151st Street, said Jason Rhodes, a spokesman with the Overland Park Fire Department.
The trailer filled with 1,368 baby pigs was on its way to Iowa, when its truck had a mechanical problem and pulled over.
Without airflow or water, the driver said the pigs wouldn’t survive the heat, so police called the fire department to hose down the pigs until another tractor could pick up the trailer.
The driver told firefighters, “You saved 1,368 lives today. Thank you!”
This story was originally published August 10, 2023 at 1:28 PM.
