Haverhill Firefighters Battle House Fire In Frigid Temperatures
PEABODY (CBS) – Firefighters in Haverhill battled a massive house fire in frigid temperatures Thursday night.
The ground was like an ice skating rink and the firefighters themselves were coated with ice but the chief says the cold actually did not hinder them.
They responded to the home on Deer Run Road at about 5:00 p.m. The fire was showing in the front of the house when crews arrived and the one person who was inside was able to get out safely.
The flames burned through the roof and the home is a complete loss. The fire was extinguished by 8:00 p.m.
Despite a real feel temperature of negative 10 degrees, the chief says the fire hydrant was not frozen and the ice has helped in a bizarre way.
"They get used to it we're New Englanders," said Haverhill Fire Chief William Laliberty. "We wear gear that does protect us from not only the heat but it does kind of protect us from the cold. We're all iced up but actually the ice gives us another layer of protection from the cold because it's another insulation."
There is no word on where the fire originated or a cause.