Firefighters in New Brunswick were forced to battle frigid conditions while fighting a massive fire in the city.

The fire in the multi-story building near Handy Street and Throop Avenue broke out around 8 p.m.

Temperatures dipped to around 19 degrees in New Brunswick Thursday. A large area around the fire was frozen due to the amount of water needed to fight the fire. Parts of walls and power lines were covered in ice.

Firefighters say they are used to spending time in the cold, but freezing temperatures make fighting fires default in many aspects.

"We have hoses freezing, we have freezing on the ground... it's very slippery and dangerous to the personnel on scene," says New Brunswick Fire Chief Kevin McCann.

A witness tells News 12 New Jersey that they heard a loud explosion prior to the fire, but it was not immediately known if this was related.

Dozens of people live inside the building but News 12 is told they were all able to safely escape. The American Red Cross is assisting 10 families, and about 42 people, who are displaced. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.