Tuesday’s freezing temperatures complicated matters as Birmingham firefighters tried to put out flames at neighboring homes in the Powderly community.
The fire started at a home on Dawson Avenue Southwest around 6:30 p.m. After a moment, the blaze spread to the home next door, which had six people inside, including four children.
Everyone in the second house got away safely, but firefighters told CBS 42 News that their home is destroyed. As crews worked to control the flames, they had to adjust their attack due to the cold conditions.
“The temperature extremes we're experiencing caused some issues because of the water and the slipping on surfaces,” said Jeff Russell, Birmingham Fire Battalion Chief. “We had to rehab our personnel quite extensively to get warm because obviously, they're wet. So that has affected us as well."