DECATUR, IL—Firefighters called to battle a blaze Monday morning had no choice but to adapt to some additional challenges.
Conditions called for periods of heavy snowfall partnered with extremely low wind chill values between 9 and 19 below zero and gusts reaching a potential high of 21 mph, according to a forecast by the National Weather Service in Lincoln.
The frigid conditions were made most apparent by the dense excess smoke billowing from inside the home at Railroad and Mueller avenues.
Despite the harsh weather, Decatur firefighters continued with the task at hand.
But, battling fires during brutal conditions like those on Monday can be a bit more strenuous, said Fire Chief Jeff Abbott.
"One of the problems is the equipment because we normally shut off a nozzle when you're done spraying water, but here you have to leave it cracked open so the water's moving and it doesn't freeze," Abbott said.
Luckily, crews called to the scene that afternoon had no issues with the hoses. Around 12:09 p.m. firefighters were seen extinguishing the remaining inside flames through the building's front door and through spaces on the side that had been axed and pulled off.
The fire chief said water from the hose can pose the risk of causing equipment to become inoperable. Firefighters are careful to watch their step when walking on hard surfaces during icy conditions that can be made more hazardous if water from the hose freezes into more ice.
"When you get wet, the air packs, the regulators start to freeze up. The radio microphones freeze up," Abbott said. "So you have to take the equipment back to the truck and let it warm up if you need to use it again."
One big issue that first-responders faced initially upon their arrival on the scene was determining if there was someone still inside the home.
"We kept getting reports that the guy had just gotten hip surgery and was still inside," Abbott said.
Several attempts to get inside the house were thwarted by wind intensifying the already-large fire. Strong winds blowing from the north kept "feeding the fire through the front windows and it just took off on them," Abbott said.
Attempts were made to enter the house through a couple bedroom windows, but the bellowing fire kept forcing the firemen back outside. Abbott said "when the windows broke on the front, the fire came through and forced the firefighters back out the window in the back."
The two occupants of the house were later confirmed to have made it out safely with no injuries. The home was a complete loss. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electric heater in the kitchen.
On standby during the Monday fire was Savannah Miller, an EMT-Basic with Decatur Ambulance, who said the day so far had been "tricky because the roads are so bad," directly causing slower response times.
Miller said they were also instructed to not utilize lights and sirens when responding to calls.
"You still want to treat your patients, but you want to do it in a safer manner because you can't obviously drive as fast to hospitals and scenes today," Miller said Monday afternoon. "If we don't make it to the call safe, the patient doesn't get treated, so we just have to keep that into consideration."
As winter weather makes the job harder for firefighters, the Decatur chief mentioned that a slight perk was their heavy gear actually did a decent job keeping them warm.
"It's the same stuff you wear in the summer, so summer is worse than winter," Abbott said. His coat was covered in snow and ice chunks that had built up during the call.
"The guys probably have insulated socks and a second pair of gloves," he said. "When they get back, they've got a second set of turnout gear because this stuff will be frozen."
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Contact Garrett Karsten at (217) 421-6949. Follow him on Twitter: @GarrettKarsten
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