Hutchinson fire crews were called to a structure fire just before 7 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
A wood hobby shop in the 900 block of South Main caught on fire. But crews were not only battling the blaze but also the cold. A press release from Hutchinson fire claims the subzero wind chills hampered fire operations with a broken hydrant, freezing water, slippery conditions, and wet gear for the firefighters.
“Obviously, we use a lot of water, it instantly turns to ice. Not only does it factor with the people, but it also factors with the building as it continues to build up ice, the structure becomes more heavy which means a bigger potential of collapse which is what we did have here,” Deputy Chief Doug Hanen said.
Across the street, the cold weather kept business owners Randy and Susan Puls from their New Year’s Day plans. To get a kickstart on 2019, the couple went down to their store, Hutchinson Industrial Supply, Inc., to do some year-end inventory.
They looked out the windows of their storefront to see flames coming out of the building across the street.
“It was lighting up the night sky,” Randy Puls said.
The couple invited fire crews inside to warm up between firefighting efforts.
(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)