Firefighters Battle 'Challenging' Fire In -22 Degree Temps

ROCKY FORD, Colo. (CBS4) - Fire and ice confronted firefighters in southeast Colorado who responded to an apartment building in flames in sub-zero temperatures early Sunday morning.

The mostly volunteer Rocky Ford Fire Department was dispatched at 1 a.m. to the complex on Sycamore Street.

The temperature at the time, according to the department's Facebook post, was -22 degrees.

"This was a very challenging fire," the department wrote in their post, "and the cold didn't help at all."

There was one minor injury but all tenants escaped the apartment building.

Nighttime pictures taken at the scene show firefighters frosted with frozen spray from fire hoses. Daytime photos show a smoldering, icicle-laden structure with leaning walls and collapsed roof.

The extent of the damage to the building is not yet available. Crews said it was "fully engulfed" in fire soon after their arrival.

A cause of the fire is also undetermined.

Gear and personnel from neighboring departments in La Junta, Manzanola, Fowler, and Otero County assisted in the firefight.