NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Monday's extreme heat made fighting a three-alarm fire at a Donelson apartment complex even more difficult.
Several dozen Nashville firefighters responded to the fire at The Trails, off Bell Road, near Percy Priest Lake.
READ: Apartment Units Destroyed By 3-Alarm Fire Near Donelson
"We have safety monitors on scene who are monitoring things to make sure folks aren't getting overheated. The last thing we want is one of our guys getting in trouble," said fire department spokesman Brian Haas.
Firefighters wear close to 50 pounds of gear when they go into a burning building.
The heat did get the best of one firefighter. He was quickly treated at the scene and was feeling better once he cooled down.
The size of this fire would have typically called for two-alarms, but because of the heat, more personnel were needed.
"We required a third-alarm so we could rotate people out, making sure they didn't overheat," Haas said.
The fire department's volunteer group Box 55 also responded to the fire. They were on scene to make sure firefighters were properly hydrated.
"You're sweating like crazy," said volunteer Mattie Mayo.
Box 55 has used trucks they can serve out of, and the volunteers also walked around the scene to hand out beverages.
"Usually the guys go get Gatorade first, to get that sweetness, then they usually hydrate with water," Mayo said.
Ice towels also played an important part in recovering from the extreme heat.
"They fool your brain into thinking the rest of your body is cooled down. It gets your heart rate and your respiration down," Mayo explained.
Once the fire was out, the hot job was not over. Fire crews then packed out their equipment in the heat, but they were able to leave their gear behind for that part of the job.
