Triple the firefighters needed amid cold at St. Paul house fire

A firefighter walks past an ice-encrusted home.
A firefighter walks past an ice-encrusted home after an early morning house fire Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 in St. Paul, Minn.
Jean Pieri | Pioneer Press via AP

Dangerously cold weather is creating added pressure on emergency responders in Minnesota, where three times the number of firefighters were needed to battle a house fire.

A house in St. Paul was covered in heavy ice as firefighters hauled hoses through the snow as temperatures plunged Wednesday to nearly negative 30 degrees.

Firefighters were told to spend no more than 10 minutes fighting the fire before heading to a transit bus to warm up. Hose lines and hydrants froze, and a ladder truck was disabled by the cold.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Assistant Fire Chief Mike Gaede says 40 to 50 firefighters worked the fire.

Firefighters took the three adults and four children to a fire station where the Red Cross provided assistance.

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