Omaha firefighters monitor warehouse fire hot spots for fourth day amid freezing conditions
Omaha Fire Department crews continue working on a warehouse fire at Dahlman Ave and L Street in South Omaha for the fourth consecutive day, with sub-freezing temperatures creating dangerous ice conditions at the scene.
The old warehouse, filled with wood pallets that served as perfect fuel for the blaze, has required firefighters to use between one and two million gallons of water, according to Battalion Chief Kurt Theiler. The water has frozen around the building, creating hazardous working conditions.
"Unfortunately we're working on a ice skating rink because we're throwing water, so it's been amazing throughout this whole scene that we haven't had any injuries due to any kind of slips and falls," Theiler said.
The extreme cold has complicated routine firefighting operations. Equipment freezes together, particularly at hose couplings, forcing crews to keep water flowing continuously through nozzles to prevent freezing.
"Hoses freeze together, especially at the couplings. Flowing water doesn't like to freeze, so we leave a lot of our nozzles open. Our nozzles on the end of our ladder trucks stay open and are constantly flowing water," Theiler said.
Local businesses have stepped up to support the extended firefighting effort. Aldi opened their store to allow crews to warm up and get food and water during the operation.
"Imagine 60 guys at a scene that are rotating through that rehab to get a little replenishment and warm up through that scene during their normal business operations. So more than grateful. I can't tell you how grateful we are," Theiler said.
Firefighters are using drones and visual monitoring to watch for hot spots that continue to flare up, with crews standing by to extinguish any smoldering they detect. The department plans to maintain the scene until at least Wednesday evening.
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