A truck driver left 165 pigs in a trailer near a Kanawha City fast-food restaurant on Friday.
The first report came at 11:11 a.m., when someone complained about an abandoned truck and "panting pigs," a Kanawha County dispatcher said. The pigs were found in a livestock trailer near a Long John Silver's restaurant at the corner of MacCorkle Avenue and 42nd Street.
Crews with the Charleston Fire Department sprayed water on the trailer to cool down the pigs and Charleston Auto Towing unlocked the cab.
Authorities found truck keys and the driver's cellphone inside, said Assistant Fire Chief Rob Sutler.
He said the pigs seemed healthy, but they will need to re-gain weight - some of it lost under the hot sun - before they make it to their final destination in Virginia.
"It's an economic cost to the trucking company, the farm that's selling them," Sutler said. "Luckily there's no deceased animals."
Sutler said the owner of DL Winner Livestock Express would travel from Ohio and retrieve the pigs. Until then, the pigs will be housed in a shaded area.
As a driver left with the trailer, a man rushed to the spot where it had been parked.
Keith Stikeleather, 55, said he is the driver responsible for the pigs. He said Friday marked his second week with the company.
When asked why he left, Stikeleather said he went for a walk and lost track of time, then returned three hours later.
"I just can't believe this happened," he said.
A driver parked the truck at a Charleston Auto Towing garage off Hunt Avenue in Charleston. Pig squeals echoed from the garage while a stench lingered from the entrance.
The tow company's owner, Chris Reed, sprayed the animals again with a hose.
"I'm just watering my pigs," he said.
Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @Gsabella on Twitter.