Police, fireys brawl in charity football match

In their every day careers police and firefighters are used to dealing with firey situations, but what happens when the emergency service brothers come to blows? A red hot melee.

Or at least that was the case when the two groups went toe-to-toe during a brawl at a recent charity football match in the US.

Lining up in a game to benefit the families of emergency workers, the rivalry between the New York Police Department and the fire brigade bubbled over after a NYPD officer flattened one his rivals toward the end of the 44^th annual Fun City Bowl.

Firefighters were first to respond, rushing to the aid of their teammate before as a scuffle erupted near the sideline.

And it quickly turned ugly with players from both teams joining the fray until coaching staff members managed to pry apart the combatants.

However, the peace didn't last long with a second brawl erupting shortly afterwards with of one FDNY player emerging from the fracas with a bloody ear and a torn jersey.

"They hit our quarterback out of bounds, and that's how things started," FDNY coach Steve Orr told the New York Post.

"There were a lot of hotheads there.”

The NYPD later hinted at the mayhem in a statement released after the match. 

"Football is a competitive sport, whether it is the NFL Super Bowl or the annual NYPD-FDNY challenge," they wrote.

"It is part of the spirit of the sport, but it all ends on the field."

By all accounts the match later resumed without incident, with players from both sides shaking hands after the game, which was won by the police 29-13.