SEVEN hundred pigs and piglets died when an electrical fault sparked a severe fire at their piggery.

Firefighters were able to save just under half of the pigs, but many which did not perish in the fire itself had to be destroyed afterwards because of the effects of smoke.

The fire started at a pig farm at Whitwell Grange, Mary Lane, Lower Dunsforth, near Boroughbridge, at around 11.10am yesterday (mon). Flames had already engulfed one third of the building by the time firefighters arrived at the scene, so they concentrated their efforts on preventing it from spreading.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "On arrival we discovered a severe fire in the piggery unit which contained pigs and piglets.

"The fire had already taken a strong hold in approximately one third of the building and fire crews concentrated their efforts on preventing the fire from spreading further through the 60 metre long unit.

"Sadly, approximately 700 pigs perished in the fire but it is estimated a further 600 were spared the same fate by the crews, who worked very hard in difficult conditions to ensure the fire did not spread."

The spokesman said preliminary investigations showed that overheated wires in a heater element, and an overloaded thermostat, may have been the cause.

Water tenders from Easingwold and Boroughbridge, a water bowser and two hose reels were used to fight the fire, which was finally declared out at around 2.30pm.

Assistant Divisional Officer Simon Gibson, who was in charge of fighting the fire, gave a stark warning to other farmers.

He said: "A principle source of North Yorkshire's economy is farming.

"Often buildings are far removed from, or out of view of the farmhouse.

"Fire safety on the farm is vital to prevent, as much as possible, incidents like this.

"A few minutes' investment of time to get fire safety advice, which is readily available from your local fire service, can save you from distress and anguish in the future."