COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Monday night, firefighters battled more than just flames at a house fire in Lockbourne. They had to rotate out in shifts because of the freezing cold.

The Columbus Fire Department said a fire started in a chimney that worked its way up to the attic at the home in the 6000 block of Lockbourne Road.

Firefighters said frigid temperatures made their job more challenging.

“Cold weather just creates a little bit of a challenge because of the needing to keep the guys warm and cycling them through,” said Batallion Chief Sean Wooten with the Columbus Fire Department.

Wooten said the couple who lives there was able to escape before calling 9-1-1.

“Fortunately we were able to control the fire pretty quickly, but there’s some smoldering and we just have to do a lot of overhaul to ensure we don’t have any extension of the fire,” said Wooten.

The fire was put out fast, but extra crews were on scene to relieve cold, wet and tired firefighters working in the dangerous conditions.

“We kind of keep additional crews on scene and just cycle them through in short intervals so everyone gets a chance to warm back up and rehab,” said Wooten.

The Red Cross assisted the family.

Firefighters warn get your chimney checked and cleaned before you start a fire on cold nights this winter.