Pink Pig Farm, a popular family play center near Scunthorpe, suffered significant damage following an arson attack on Thursday evening. The fire broke out around 19:00 BST, leading to the complete destruction of a covered play area and prompting a swift response from emergency services.
Sally Jackson, owner of Pink Pig Farm, called the experience as “completely heartbreaking. She recounted witnessing the fire, stating, “We just saw a big plume of smoke come over at about 19:00 BST last night and obviously ran out there.” Luckily, the collapse did not seriously injure any workers or livestock on the dairy farm.
The Humberside Fire and Rescue Service quickly came to assist, sending four fire crews to the scene. Upon firefighters’ arrival, they found a fire involving a barn that was storing about 30 hay bales. To make matters worse, the fire quickly spread into a grassed area, increasing the level of urgency required in the response.
A spokesperson for the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service reported, “Firefighters first to arrive found a fire involving a barn containing approximately 30 hay bales, which had spread to a nearby grassed area.” Fire crews worked diligently to contain the flames, remaining on site until 22:00 BST to ensure the fire did not reignite.
The children’s play area had been heavily damaged. Just down the path through the orchard, a sad, unused, deflated multi-colored inflatable bounce pillow lay flat on the ground in front of the barn. This inflatable was one of the many pieces of equipment made available for guests to Pink Pig Farm’s impressive play center.
Authorities have described the incident as intentional and referred the case to local police for continued investigation. As reported by BBC, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said it is still investigating the cause of the fire.
