LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- First responders found one person dead Wednesday after two houses went up in flames in Louisville's Crescent Hill neighborhood.
Louisville Division of Fire Capt. Donovan Sims said the cold weather made the fire hard to find.
"The biggest issue that can happen when we do have that cold weather -- that smoke kind of sits down low versus moving straight up," Sims said. "And that just made it ... the visibility at first was kind of hard to locate."
Crews eventually found two homes on fire with heavy flames and smoke behind the firehouse near Frankfort Avenue and Hite Avenue. It took 25 firefighters 30 minutes to gain control of the fire.
During a secondary search, crews found one person dead in the back of the main house that was on fire.
"The winter months are a very scary time as far as bad fires go," Zoneton Fire spokesperson Rich Carlson said. "You see the greatest amount of life lost during the wintertime."
Firefighters are facing more challenges while fighting fires now that there's colder weather. Firefighters already wear about 100 pounds of gear, but in the winter months with ice, it can weigh even more.
"It's brutal," Carlson said.
Recently, firefighters have had to thaw out inside of ambulances just to get out of uniform.
"If you start getting soaking wet and it starts freezing, you just hardly can't move," Carlson said. "You get sweaty from going inside putting the fire out, but then you come outside and get hit by real cold air. So that can lead to hypothermia fairly quick."
One person was found dead after two houses caught fire on Franck Avenue in Louisville, Ky. on Jan. 10, 2024.
Carlson said fighting fires in the winter months is miserable for them. He remembers one winter in Louisville where they responded to a fire in -20 degree temperatures.
"The snow and ice and everything slows us down on arrival, which means if there's a fire, it's gonna get bigger," Carlson said.
Carlson said in the dead of winter, they must pack a hydrant thawer to break the ice, adding winter fires typically require more manpower.
"It becomes a greater labor intensive effort when it's cold outside," he said.
If and when snow comes in the area, firefighters hope you'll think of them. They ask you to clear your driveway and sidewalks in your neighborhood of snow.
It helps them respond quicker and safer. If you need a smoke detector, call your local fire department. They will give you one and install it for free.
For more information, click here.
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