Bitter Cold Challenges Firefighters As They Put Out Jamaica Plain Blaze

JAMAICA PLAIN (CBS) - Extreme cold temperatures challenged Boston firefighters as they fought a blaze at a home in Jamaica Plain on Thursday afternoon.

The fire at 49 Boylston Street started on the second floor. None of the five residents of the two-family house were home at the time, so nobody was injured.

Boston District Fire Chief Pat Nichols said the frigid cold always impacts the department's efforts. "It's slippery," he said. "Everything freezes. The hoses freeze. The ladders freeze. It became very slippery on the roof when the members were up on the roof trying to open the roof. Ladders became slippery. Everything freezes almost instantly."

To combat the possibility of freezing, he said firefighters keep hoses and pumps running nonstop. No firefighters were injured, despite a slippery roof, icy roads, and bitter cold.

One dog was taken out of the home but firefighters believe it will fully recover from smoke inhalation.

The house has more than $400,000 in damage according to Nichols. Once the fire was out, holes in the roof and structure were visible.

Neighbors watched from their windows as the fire was put out. Monica Trobagis was in awe of firefighters' courage. "It's freezing cold outside and they're willing to climb up on the roof," she said. "I would be really scared to do that, so it was just amazing to watch."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.