Pig sparks farm fire after eating and then defecating battery-powered pedometer

It's a fact that pigs are as greedy as, well, pigs. Any swine farmer you care to ask about the subject will tell you, in no uncertain terms, that anything that falls into their path is liable to get gobbled up and swallowed in about five seconds flat: even things that are absolutely not intended for general porcine consumption.

Take a look at this video of an enormous cow that was too big for the slaughterhouse: 

But the ravenous appetites of these pink and chubby animals doesn't usually make them a danger to other creatures, or to humans. But this week a pig has managed to inadvertently become something of an arsonist in the strangest way possible.

According to a report by BBC News, a team of English firefighters were summoned to a pig farm near Leeds after a fire broke out. But it was the cause of the fire that left them shaking their heads, as apparently the blaze was sparked by a pig who escaped from its pen, and picked up a battery-operated a pedometer.

When it went back to its pen, it brought the pedometer back with it and dropped it in the muck. Another pig then ate the instrument, which later reacted with the gasses, excrement, and dry straw, and combusted after the pig pooped it out again later on.

The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service later tweeted: "Should be an oink not a tweet. Tadcaster and Knaresbororough firecrews attended a fire to 4 pigpens near Bramham. No pigs harmed. Cause of fire attributed to a battery-powered pedometer carried by one of the pigs (to prove it was free-range), which was eaten by the other. [sic]"

Luckily, no-one (including the clueless pigs) was hurt in the incident. Just as well that the emergency services were able to save their bacon!