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Fire kills hundreds of pigs at German farm

November 17, 2018

A fire has engulfed a pig farm in western Germany, killing around 1,700 animals. Police say it's not yet clear what caused the barn to go up in flames.

https://p.dw.com/p/38QeJ
Fire fighters running outside a barn
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Nord-West-Media TV

Hundreds of pigs perished in a massive blaze that erupted early Saturday at a farm in the western German town of Mettingen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, police said.

"The fire brigade and emergency services are still at the scene," a police spokesman told DW, adding that "it could take some time" to assess the scale of the damage.

No people were injured, but it's estimated that about 1,700 pigs died in the fire.

Authorities said it was not immediately clear how the blaze started.