Firefighters Contend With Frigid Conditions Battling 3 Fires In Worcester
WORCESTER (CBS) -- Firefighters had to deal with frigid conditions while battling three fires in Worcester in less than a day.
A triple-decker on Preston Street was badly damaged in a fire that started around 1 a.m. Monday.
Worcester Deputy Fire Chief John Sullivan told WBZ-TV's Susie Steimle hypothermia was a concern battling the fires, but "slips and falls" were a bigger concern because it slows everything down.
"The equipment just didn't have a chance to thaw out so we had a lot of issues," he added.
One of three men who lived on the first floor was taken to the hospital as a precaution, fire officials say.
"The heat was intense. You could feel it from over here," says one man who lives near the triple-decker.
The man says he is grateful to firefighters for waking people up during the neighborhood evacuation, otherwise "people would have lost their lives."
The other two fires happened Sunday night on Pineland Avenue and Henry Street.
No one was hurt during the fires. The homes have been left uninhabitable and likely will be torn down, fire officials say.
Three fires also broke out in Gloucester and Weymouth, respectively, in less than a day.