FREMONT - Two Fremont police officers got quite a sting just as Hurricane Sandy’s winds began to peak Monday when they were whipped by a cable wire ripped down by a fallen tree.

Acting Police Chief Denny Wood and Officer Derek Franek escaped serious injuries after being struck by the cable while directing traffic around a large tree that landed on the wires on Route 107.

Wood said he and Franek shut down the northbound lane on Main Street just before 2 p.m. and were directing traffic while utility workers removed the tree from the wires.

The tree’s removal created slack in the cable lines running to a nearby property, Wood said. At the same time, Wood said a tractor trailer passed by and struck the cable wire, causing it to snap off the house and strike him and Franek.

The officers were not hit by any live wires, but the cable struck Wood in the hand and torso while Wood was hit in the leg and wrist.

The cable left marks on Wood’s upper pant leg on his right thigh, and his right hand was red and slightly swollen. Franek wasn’t injured but had marks on his uniform.

Wood said he and Franek were startled by the accident and “were not immediately able to process or become aware of what happened.” Franek said he didn’t know what happened at first. He recalled hearing a “whip snapping noise.”

“Next thing I know I have something wrapped around me. It stung. It took a few seconds and stopped,” Franek said.

The incident was one of many around the state caused by the intense storm that battered the region with winds gusting over 60 mph, sending trees into power lines, buildings and vehicles.

In Epping, a large tree was uprooted and toppled onto a seasonal home in Camp Hedding, crushing the porch. The same residence was damaged when numerous pine trees fell during the windstorm in 2010. No one was injured in the incident as the owner was away.

Tim Sheppard lives on Main Street in Epping but has a summer house in Camp Hedding and stopped by to check things out Monday and Tuesday.

He was surprised that more of the large pine trees didn’t come down during the hurricane, but he said many of the weaker ones have already fallen in past storms.

“These trees have been beat up enough in the past three or four years to be a little more resilient,” he said.

Meanwhile, firefighters in Brentwood battled a fire at a house at 19 Block Drive around 4 a.m. that began when a generator overheated and caught fire, Fire Chief Kevin Lemoine said.

The generator was located directly next to the house under a roof attached to the side of the residence, Lemoine said.

The fire damaged the side of the house and caused smoke damage, but firefighters were able to save the building.

Lemoine said six fire and rescue personnel were manning fire station overnight because of the storm; normally the department has personnel on call.

“That made a big difference. It saved about 10 minutes,” said Lemoine, who urged homeowners to keep generators at least 10 feet away from their residence.

- - - - - - - -

Jason Schreiber may be reached at jschreiber@newstote.com.