ROCK ISLAND, Illinois -- A house caught on fire on Jan. 5 as temperatures outside mixed with wind chill sunk into the negatives.
Crews responded to 2714 5 1/2 Ave. in Rock Island after the call came in at 6:14 a.m.
One person was at home, but the person got out of the home safely. Responders were able to rescue some pets and were still looking for more at 7:30 a.m.
News 8 was on scene and could see a large plume of smoke billowing out of the house. Flames were seen at the back of the house.
The guys train for it. They do know the precautions to take and they do the best they can to work safely and efficiently and protecting themselves.>
Meteorologist Eric Sorensen said Friday's temperatures around the time of the fire reached to negative -6 degrees below with a wind chill of negative -21. Cars blocked the road because of snow banks and the fire hydrant was frozen.
"The guys train for it," Rock Island Fire Marshal Greg Marty said when asked about how crews train for the weather. "They do know the precautions to take and they do the best they can to work safely and efficiently and protecting themselves...Everything moves a little bit slower plus the slippery conditions around the structure, so as soon as any water hits the ground, it's frozen almost instantly."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
