12-27-07

Walpole Firefighters Knock Down Fire at Malnati Farm

By Chuck Bingaman, Contributing Writer

            Walpole firefighters, assisted by firefighters from Westminster, successfully knocked down a dangerous fire in a hay storage barn attached to Malnati’s garage and home on Rt. 12 in quick, effective action Thursday morning.

            After receiving an alarm around 8:00 a.m., according to Walpole Fire Chief Dick Hurlburt, Walpole firefighters found the barn in flames and threatening to move into the attached garage that lead directly to the Malnatis' home.  “Our guys did a great job of stopping the fire from spreading and then knocking it down,” according to Hurlburt.

            “No one at home was injured although one of our fellows, John Palmieri, hurt a shoulder and was taken to the hospital,” Hurlburt said. Hurlburt did not have a cause of the fire when interviewed around 11:30 a.m.

            Palmieri, a ten-year veteran of the Walpole fire department, reported Thursday afternoon that he had sustained torn muscle and a possible dislocation but had been released from the hospital.

            Arriving at the fire scene, it was apparent that the hay storage barn was nearly gone and that fire threatened the home.  Firefighters quickly cut a hole in the garage roof to stop the fire and concentrated on confining the fire to the hay barn.  It was a total loss, and firefighters spent several hours dousing flames and smoke in the hay.