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Firefighters face challenges battling multiple blazes in extreme cold

By Marissa Sulek

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — The dangerous cold in the Chicago area this week has been keeping firefighters busy — battling the elements and even frozen hydrants.

The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army have been working overtime to help those displaced by fires amid the cold snap.

One of the fires Monday afternoon engulfed an entire unit in the Beach Park Mobile Homes community, at 38703 Sheridan Rd. The fire sent thick clouds of smoke billowing into the sky.

There was also a fire Monday on all three floors of an apartment building at 1951 E. 73rd Pl. in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. The fire left three families without a home.

Getting water out of hydrants to fight the fire was not always an easy task for firefighters this frigid Monday.

However, the Chicago Fire Department said while one fire hydrant was frozen in South Shore, it did not stall their response because they send out additional crews in extremely cold weather. With extra staff, they were able to find out quickly with fire hydrants worked.

The cause of the fires Monday was still undetermined, but Mara Thompson of the American Red Cross noted that there is a frequent cause for fires in extremely cold weather.

“Usually, the main source of this is because of heating equipment,” she said.

Thompson said this is the best time to remind people to make sure smoke alarms are working. Also, she said, space heaters should be plugged directly into walls and never into extension cords — and should be kept away from flammable furniture.

Moreover, the stove or oven should never be used as a heating source.

“Just within the past week in the Chicago area alone, we responded to 26 house fires and helped out more than 150 people,” Thompson said.

Meanwhile, Andrew Ward with The Salvation Army said because of this week’s cold snap, all 100 beds at the Freedom Center in the Humboldt Park neighborhood are full. However, the Salvation Army’s Shuttles of Hope are working around the clock to get people out of the cold and to other area shelters.

“If we don’t have a bed here, or because of your demographic, you fit more to a family shelter placement, you know, we have resources for that.” Ward said.

As for the three families displaced in the South Shore fire, they were safe Monday night — and the Red Cross said it will provide shelter.

A major fire also broke out Monday at a house in rural Harmon, Illinois, in Lee County southwest of Dixon. The fire broke out at 537 Ryan Rd. in the town of about 120 people, and reportedly prompted a mayday call for a firefighter unaccounted for.

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