Firefighters Around NY State Grapple With Brutal Cold

Firefighters around New York state have been grappling with brutal cold during big blazes.

About a dozen fire departments were called to an apartment building in the Ontario County community of East Bloomfield early Thursday. The wind chill was below zero and high winds caused the fire to spread quickly.

In Brooklyn, fire raged through a commercial building at 4 a.m. About 200 firefighters took turns battling intense flames and getting warm on buses. Water froze when it hit the ground. Thick smoke filled the neighborhood.

The weather wreaked havoc in other ways.

Most school districts around western New York remained closed on Thursday.

On Wednesday afternoon, there was a 21-vehicle pileup on the New York State Thruway between Buffalo and Rochester.