Chicago firefighters battled a huge blaze in single-digit temperatures at a Bridgeport warehouse on the city's South Side early Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013.

Firefighters had to contend with frozen-over hydrants and ladders.

Equipment had to be steamed for use.

200 firefighters, around a third of the city's on-duty contingent, were called in to attend to the inferno.

It took three-and-a-half hours to snuff the fire out.

Jack Frost did his part in bringing the fire under control.

"An unbelievable fire load" in the timber-filled building was blamed for the fire's epic magnitude.

Just another day at the office for Chicago's firefighters.

The spectacle attracted dozens of gawking locals (not pictured).

Amazing photos as freezing Chicago ices out major blaze

1/24/2013

Q: How many Chicago firefighters does it take to convert a warehouse blaze into a winter wonderland? A: Around 200 or so. A passing fire chief was the first to spot the fire at a five-story warehouse in Bridgeport, Ill. One third of the city's on-duty firefighters were called in to control the blaze which rapidly destroyed the warehouse in what the city's fire commissioner called the biggest fire in Chicago in seven years. Meanwhile, the temperature had plunged to well below freezing, resulting in the icescape captured in these breathtaking shots. [Source]

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Very cool photos of people and everyday things frozen over 30 photos of people and animals experiencing snow for the first time