CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Chicago firefighters battled two fires and the extreme cold on the Southwest Side Tuesday.
Icicles formed on fire hydrants outside a two-flat near 19th and May in Pilsen.
The fire department said the fire started at around 4 p.m. in the afternoon and was complicated by hoarding conditions inside.
A man in his 50s was taken to the hospital initially in critical condition.
Retired deputy commissioner Mark Nielsen told CBS News Chicago extreme cold limits how long crews can be outside.
"Obviously, the personnel is going to suffer. We have to take protective measures to cover skin," Nielsen said.
About four hours later, crews were back in the area, putting out a fire in an apartment building near Cullerton and Ashland.
Six people got out without injury.
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