Roughly 1,800 baby pigs were stuck in the sweltering heat as traffic zoomed around them. They were in a trailer taking a nice ride until a semi-truck broke down. Luckily, firefighters came to their rescue by blasting them with hoses. 

Virginia firefighters spray 1800 pigs in a stranded semi-truck 

Baby pigs were riding in a trailer along Interstate 295 when their semi-truck broke down. About 1,800 piglets were stuck in Henrico County, Virginia, as traffic zoomed around them. 

They were supposed to be going to Iowa, but sat baking in the sun instead. Police officers realized the pigs were getting stressed out, so they called the fire department for help. 

According to WTVR, firefighters from Henrico Fire pulled up to prevent the piglets from overheating. They sprayed the pigs with fire hoses. Don’t worry, they weren’t blasting the piggies with full force. Firefighters were gentle as they cooled the pigs in the agriculture trailer. 

They squealed with joy and relief, pressing their snouts out of the holes in the trailer. I remember when volunteer firefighters sprayed my youth church basketball team with water as a child. We squealed, too. 

It’s unclear what caused the semi-truck to break down. It was towed away from the scene a few hours later. The piglets were returned to the shipper in Waverly. Firefighters laughed, sharing that this wasn’t the everyday rescue call. 

I’m not sure why they were heading to Iowa. Hopefully, they were going somewhere to live happy lives. After seeing them happily get sprayed down, I’m a little attached to them now.