Chicago firefighters had their hands full already battling a huge warehouse fire in the city's South Side Tuesday night. But imagine trying to spray water on a blaze when temperatures are closer to 0 than freezing.

The temperature was 10 degrees during the fire, part of an arctic outbreak gripping much of the upper Midwest.. Water was freezing to hoses, hydrants -- even the firefighters' uniforms. 

And the next morning when the sun came up, it revealed an entire block coated in a thick ice leftover from the firefighting efforts.

The high Wednesday was only 23 and temperatures dropped even further to 4 degrees Wednedsay night, meaning that ice wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Firefighters were concerned the weight of the ice could collapse the damaged building -- adding even more to their challenges.

It's probably enough to make a few firefighters think of moving to sunnier climates. Or, at least some place where the spray doesn't freeze on contact!

You can see some of the striking photos in the gallery on the left, and more in this video: