Quebec firefighters work in frigid conditions, warn safety first during cold snap

Firefighters have been working overtime putting out a series of fires in tough conditions as a cold snap continues to grip the province.

In Montreal, firefightersare warning people not to take drastic measures to thaw their frozen pipes after a man started a fire in a residential building in Verdun while using a blowtorch to thaw his pipes.

The pipes were surrounded by combustible material which caught fire andquickly spread to the walls of the six-unit residential complex on Rushbrooke Street, saidMartinGuilbault,chief of operations for the Montreal fire department.

• How to keep your pipes from freezing during the deep freeze

Guilbault said thatdealing with frozen pipes is not a do-it-yourselfproject.

"Call a plumber. These people are used to doing this kindof work. Some people usually don't want to call a professional, so they are going to do it themselves. But they've never done that before. That is where theproblem occurs."

Calling in reinforcements

Earlier this week,170 firefighters from 17 municipalities assembled on the South Shore Wednesday night into Thursday morning to handle not one,but two different fires.

Firefighters worked in 25 C and struggled to keep their water from freezing as they put out flames at an apartment building in Beauharnoisand at the nearby Rio TintoAlcanplant.

Fire chiefJean-MauriceMarleausaid they had to call in reinforcements from surrounding cities and towns so that they could work in rotating shifts and take breaks to get warm.

"We went through hell with the cold that night," said Marleau. "It's one of the worst scenarios we've experienced."

No one was injured during any of the fires.