Frozen fire hydrants escalate South Side blaze

CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - Firefighters dealt with frozen hydrants Monday night during a blaze in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side.

They called in extra engines by 9:20 p.m. for a fire that spread to multiple buildings in the 4200 block of South Ashland Avenue, the Chicago Fire Department said.

No one was injured, but three children and an adult were displaced from a 2 1/2 story apartment building, the department said. The fire was put out two hours later at 11:20 p.m.

Firefighters initially struggled with frozen hydrants, Deputy Chief Walter Schroeder said. Crews tried multiple hydrants before finding an unfrozen one. The delay caused the department to call for extra help, Schroeder said.

It was 9 degrees in Chicago Monday night, the National Weather Service said.