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Man rushed to hospital as firefighters brave cold battling fire in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood

Extreme cold poses challenges in fighting fires around Chicago
Extreme cold poses challenges in fighting fires around Chicago 02:12

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Extreme cold has settled on the Chicago area, making the job of firefighting harder than usual.

Just such an example of such challenges came up Tuesday afternoon in the Pilsen neighborhood, where a fire broke out in a duplex house and sent a man to the hospital in critical condition.

Chicago firefighters carefully made their way in and out of the burning home at 1936 S. May St.

"I was just in out the backyard, and I smelled the smoke," said neighbor Jose Ayala, "and I looked at the window in the backyard and noticed the smoke coming out, so I called 911."

Temperatures were dangerously low, and water from the firehoses froze over on the porch.

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Chicago Fire Department

"Everything is slow motion, at least when it gets to that point when you have the ice development on the porch and so forth," said Mark Nielsen, former deputy commissioner in charge of operations for the Chicago Fire Department.

Nielsen retired in 2017, and said such bitter cold days make the job even more challenging.

"Not pleasant by any means, and most firefighters, they don't look forward to days like today," he said.

Nielsen said frozen hydrants can also be an obstacle in such brutal conditions, and the unrelenting weather takes a toll on the firefighters.

"Obviously, the personnel are going to suffer. We really have to watch one another. We have to take protective measures to cover skin," Nielsen said. "We can't keep firefighters outside for very long, so we have to have a rotation plan so that we're not exposed to the elements for a long period of time."

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Chicago Fire Department

On top of the cold, there were also hoarder conditions inside the house, according to the Fire Department. The CFD had to call a still-and-box alarm for additional equipment and manpower.

A man in his 50s was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and firefighters went through the house again after rescuing him to make sure no one else was in the house.

"They pulled one guy out. But hopefully, that's it, there's no more casualties," Ayala said. "It's sad, you know, to see someone being pulled out and carried away like that."

Other neighbors likewise found the situation upsetting.

"I've been here in this neighborhood all my life. I've known them for many, many, many years," said neighbor Leo Rodriguez. "I just feel sorry for them."

There was also concern about the fire spreading to the next house to the south.

The multi-family workers' cottage where the fire broke out was built in 1893, according to a Redfin listing.

The Pilsen fire was not the only major fire that broke out in Chicago amid the extreme cold Tuesday. On Tuesday evening, a still-and-box alarm was also called for a raging fire at an apartment building at 1650 W. Cullerton St. in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood.

There were reports that frozen hydrants caused problems for firefighters trying to battle that blaze.

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