WALPOLE, Mass. — Two Walpole Police officers were injured at the scene of a house fire Sunday afternoon.
According to Walpole Police, a high pressure hose broke loose and hit two officers who were standing nearby on Norton Avenue.
“It appears that as the fire department was taking the hose off the back of the truck, one end of the hose got wrapped around the fire hydrant and as the engine rolled down the street the other end of the hose got caught on the back of the truck, and thereby causing tension in the hose,” Police Chief John Carmichael said.
One officer had his arm broken, while the other sustained a serious head injury.
“When I come out, the hose whipped, and one of the guys here whipped and flipped him up in the air, and he came down, and it looked like he came down and he landed on his head,” Pat Marino, a witness, said.
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The officers have been identified as Paul Lagoa and Mike Benner. Chief Carmichael said they have both been released from the hospital and are at home recovering.
Everyone was able to get out of the home safely. Investigators said they believe a discarded cigarette caused the fire.