What started as scheduled training for firefighters ended in the rescue of a deer from the icy Cambridge Reservoir.
Crews eventually got the animal to shore, but its injuries were severe enough that it could not saved.
Just after noon Monday, calls from drivers on Rte. 128 and workers at 950 Winter St. reported a deer was stuck on the ice.
"We were set to practice our ice rescue at 1 p.m.," Deputy Fire Chief Roger Hebert said. "Probably not to this extent, but we will rescue anything that needs help."
When police and firefighters arrived they said they found a struggling and tired deer. It took over three hours to tow the animal to shore.
"This was probably the longest point in the reservoir (for a rescue)," said Hebert, who oversaw the rescue. "(It took so long) because of the size of the animal and the complexity of the rescue. He was pretty tired when we got there. He was laying down."
Three pump trucks, a ladder truck and two boats were used in the rescue. Seven firefighters in wet suits worked the ice.
Hebert said the department didn't have enough rope for all the men who had to make their way out across 2,000 to 2,500 feet on the ice, and had to go to Home Depot to buy more.
The deer's hind leg was broken and could not be fixed, according to Waltham Police and the state Environmental Police, who were called to assist in the rescue.
The deer was later shot by Environmental Police.
