Wiltshire firefighters who rescued 18 piglets and 2 sows from a blazing barn in Pewsey later received a unique thank-you: the pigs, now sausages, were grilled for the crew. Farmer Rachel Rivers delivered the organic bangers exactly six months after the fire, saying, “This is just what we do—we’re not an animal sanctuary.” The story, featuring “saved their bacon, then ate it,” left social media both amused and horrified.

After the barn fire, Rachel Rivers promised the Pewsey fire crew sausages once the piglets had lived out their swine destinies. The delivery, six months later, prompted a barbecue and a wry Facebook post: “Exactly six months and one day since we rescued 18 piglets—we got to sample the fruits of our labours.” PETA countered with vegan sausages, but the image of firefighters flipping rescued pork on the grill remains unforgettable.

The Pewsey fire station’s sausage celebration post was later deleted after public uproar, but not before local media immortalized the crew’s surreal “saved then served” barbecue with the very piglets they’d once carried to safety.