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Subscribe to RSSFirefighters in Chicago spent the night battling a five-alarm blaze in single-digit temperatures. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
A massive fire ripped through a warehouse in Chicago's South Side Tuesday night, as firefighters were hampered by bone-chilling temperatures so low that water froze on their uniforms.
The 170 firefighters on the scene battled the elements on two fronts as the monster blaze consumed a warehouse building, endangering an adjacent structure, while temperatures dipped into the single-digits.
Photos taken at the scene showed flames towering above the abandoned warehouse as icicles formed on a fire hose. One photo showed a firefighter with his jacket, hat and gloves caked in chunks of ice.
“This is a major fire,” the Chicago Fire Department posted on Twitter, adding that the scale of the response -- five alarms plus two “special” calls for additional trucks -- was “extremely rare.”
Charles Rex Arbogast / AP
Icicles form on a fire hose from single digit temperatures as Chicago firefighters battle a five-alarm blaze in a warehouse on the city's South Side, on Jan. 23, in Chicago.
The fire briefly jumped to a neighboring building, causing concern, according to reports. The adjacent structure is a printing company, the building's owner told NBCChicago.com. He was worried that certain chemicals inside could explode.
Firefighters were also concerned about a nearby fuel pumping station east of the warehouse.
The fire department's messages on Twitter highlighted the intensity of the blaze: “Rear is collapsed. … North end of building starting to fall. … (The fire department) will be here for hours.”
The department declared the fire under control early Wednesday. By then, the warehouse was sheathed in a thick layer of ice.
One firefighter was taken to a hospital with a “minor back issue,” fire officials said.
It is unclear what caused the blaze.
"We haven't had a fire this big in many years," Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford told NBCChicago.com.
Charles Rex Arbogast / AP
Chicago firefighters battle a five-alarm blaze in single-digit temperatures at a warehouse on the city's south side early Wednesday.
Related content:
PhotoBlog: Icicles cover smoky remains of massive Chicago blaze
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These guys have to risk their life for a building that should have been raised long ago.....the city is at fault for not ordering the building demolished a long time ago.
It looks like it was "raised" a long time ago, by the architecture. However, in recent years, maybe it should have been "razed" since it doesn't appear to have been in use.
Why wouldn't they just let it burn - here around NY, we know that if you just let it burn it will collapse onto itself, just like WTC7.
Because the firefighters are trying to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining businesses, in particular, a adjacent building housing a printing company...that houses highly flammable chemicals and combustable paper and other materials...
If this was a 'lone standing' structure, it would have been the Fire Chief's call one way or another...this is an old brick and steel structure...no telling what more interior materials were left inside...
Thanks Chuck, but I knew that already...I was using sarcasm...though there were a bunch of structures next to WTC7 and the firefighters just walked away saying the building was going to fall.
I don't know anyone who's a firefighter, but I want to say Thank You for risking your lives & health.
170 firefighters seems like a massive effort to me, it must've been something to see.
God bless firefighters. What a job... Talk about doing nothing but serving for the public well being while battling the worst conditions possible and getting very little in pay or appreciation to show for it. In Texas - many of ours are volunteers. I just can't imagine being out all night in single digits covered in water and threatened by fire at the same time. These dudes are almost as impressive as Marines or Coast Guard rescue swimmers. What a job.
I smell a insurance scam in the wayward city.
Only one?
More likely homeless vagrants squatting.
And to think how many politicians stole money from the fireighters pensions... shame on them!
"It is unclear what caused the blaze."
Ask Obama, I'm sure it was a BIG SCARY BLACK ASSAULT WEAPON! OH NO!!!
Be safe fire fighters & you Chicagoans sorry for that chill!!!! So glad I'm out here in San Diego!!! We freeze at 45-50 degrees, so couldnt (And DONT want to) handle your guys' temperatures out there, good luck!!
God bless the firefighters! They go out in all weather and conditions.
There is no such thing as God.
GizaDog, does it injure you in some way that most people on this planet believe in a superior being? Then why do you feel like you must hurt the people that do believe in God? I can't say with 100% certainty there is a God, can you be as sure that there isn't?
Either way, your comment was rude and uncalled for. (And I'm not even a religious person).
Maybe Mrs. O'Leary and her darn cow have resurrected!
Let it burn, chicago is a hell hole which continues to inflict damage on this nation...
Thats it. Time to ban winter!!
Only global warming could have caused a fire in such icy conditions. All Bush's Fault!!!!!
Was this yet another of the many similar fires we see occur daily and on global scale that could have been caused by the impact of very hot pieces of Space Debris? Visit JOHN HALL SPACE DEBRIS.
Space debris is not hot by the time (if) it hits ground. If a meteorite landed in your backyard, you could pick it up with your bare hands. Try again next time.
Following recent logic from our mainstream news media, does this mean that all matches and lighters should be banned? Let's stick to practicality, common sense and fairness for all...not racism in either direction (which is mostly anti-white male discrimination for the current generation)! This article is about a fire, but based on the context of contemporary news, it is almost unrecognizable as just news.
Like a scene from "when hell freezes over"!
Why put out the fire, all the gang bangers were probably all huddled around it for warmth....
Ah man, Pup......would have been a perfect time for a round up, had that been the case.
better yet,toss all the gangbangers inside of the burning structure ! the leaching parasites can mooch a "free cremation" from the taxpayers too
Makes me wanna start volunteering again.
its chicago ! just let it burn up ,no big loss !
Mark <-- Your a coward and a racist pos. Its just Chicago huh?? Chicago as in one of the 3 powerful cities that Run America?? ( New york, LA, Chicago) Where are you from J@cka$$??
Oh and why your talking about all the gangbangers they should let burn, Can we import some of your sick minded family memebers too??
Like the Denver shooting/Connecticut shooters, Or one of your good tax paying dead beat gun pro having cousins. Like the man that killed his wife, child, and then himself. Or the Man that killed wife and then himself at their daughter 16 yr old b-day party.
How about those upstanding citizens?? See bad is bad and has no race, color, creed, gender, or religion. lol But of course you will never admit it.
lol I wish I was close enough to you to KNOCK YOUR COWARD @SS teeth out, Luckily for you that you can hide and be a coward behind a computer.
Oh and by the way Romney lost lol you know why?? Because he only represented people like you and your now the Minority in America.
One country one people, and until you realize that you will always be outcasted to only deal with one type of person, which happens to be just like you. (THE COWARDLY HATE DRIVEN BIGOTS).
Enjoy life on your mental Island you weak bytch lmao hahahahaha gday
Chicago fire, look for cows with guilty looks on their faces. Possibly Chick-Filet related.
lol And the cowardly bigots run off to another page to join together and say the things they know they would be affraid to say in a public place. Gotta lovem
That is Chicago Reality looking you weak individuals straight in the face!!! One day your evil mouths will write a check that your mouths can't cash. Until then lmao hahahahah
Wow, bet you got an "A" in your "Obnoxious Keyboard Writing" class, didn't you. Freak.
Chi-town looks best at night.
"...firefighters on the scene battled the elements on two fronts as the monster blaze consumed a warehouse building, endangering an adjacent structure, while temperatures dipped into the single-digits."
Here in Alaska, our fire departments have a term for these kind of circumstances: A warm winter day.
Come to think of it, when it's at zero and below they often find themselves voluntarily hanging out in holes cut in the local lakes for hours on end supporting various causes and for fun.
example: Polar Plunge 2012
www.alaskadigitalvisions.com/2012PolarPlunge/2012PolarWebGallery39/images/2012Polar800G-754.jpg
Why is this a big deal? We had a fire here Monday night, our building was built in 1887, our tempuratures were well below zero too, and every fire department in the county plus one from another county were called in. Our fire departments are all volunteer. As the headline in this article states, " Ice Forms as Firefighters Battle Blaze" well duh it WAS below zero. Our building that burnt also had some kick ass ice formations, so again I ask, why is this news. Chicago must be very important, compared to small town Northern Michigan. Pffttt!
That's what I'm saying... if it was -60 or -80 like it gets in Fairbanks and the only way to extinguish the blaze was to bring in commercial highway sized snowblowers while trucking in snow from surrounding dump sites, then I might be impressed (if that happened in Chicago).
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