Farm fire kills around 2,000 pigs in Northern Ireland
The incident was a "very difficult scene to witness", Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service assistant group commander said .
Tuesday 8 September 2020 17:40, UK
Almost 2,000 pigs have died in a fire on a farm in County Down.
Firefighters were called to the scene in Kilkeel, in the south of Northern Ireland, at 9pm last night.
The pigs were located inside a large shed on Carrigenagh Road when the blaze broke out.
Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 are believed to have been killed.
One firefighter has suffered minor burns on his feet and has been taken to hospital for treatment.
The local fire service have tweeted that the incident is understood to have been accidental, and was brought under control after about three hours.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Assistant Group Commander Martin Healy said the incident was a "very difficult scene to witness".
He added: "Actually we had to try to protect the other sheds as there's a lot of other pigs housed in them and thankfully we were able to stop the fire spreading to those sheds.
"We spoke with the farm owner and obviously our sympathies go out to him and all his staff on the devastating loss and he said himself he was devastated for the loss that he did suffer."