Overland Park firefighters save the bacon on a Kansas City-area highway

Overland Park firefighters spray a livestock trailer with water to keep 1,300 piglets cool after the truck broke down on US-69 Highway north of 151st Street.
Published: Aug. 10, 2023 at 12:15 PM CDT
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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - Firefighters rushed to help a tractor trailer stranded on the side of an Overland Park highway.

The driver pulled to the side of US 69 Highway, just north of 151st Street after the truck stopped working.

The tuck carried a load of piglets. The livestock inside the truck heated up as temperatures climbed above 80 degrees. The truck driver told firefighters that the piglets would not survive the heat without airflow or water.

That’s when the Overland Park fire department moved in to save their bacon. They sprayed the truck with water.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Firefighters responded to a stranded tractor trailer on 69 Highway. The...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Firefighters responded to a stranded tractor trailer on 69 Highway. The trailer hauled pigs, which got hot in the weather. Firefighters sprayed water into the trailer to cool the animals on Aug. 10, 2023.(Overland Park Fire Department)

The firefighters monitored the animals until another livestock trailer showed up to help. The piglets were moved to the new trailer.

They are now on the way to Iowa. The truck driver said the firefighters helped save 1,368 lives Thursday morning.