Firefighters stare danger in the face every day, but on Thursday they were feeling a different potential danger in their fingers.

Two nearly simultaneous house fires called Ames firefighters, even those off duty, into action during the late morning Thursday.

Priority one was safely putting out the fires, but frostbite and hypothermia were also crucial concerns.

According to the National Weather Service in Des Moines, the temperature in Ames at 10:53 a.m. was recorded at zero degrees Fahrenheit. At 11:53 a.m., it had warmed up to 2 degrees. The recorded wind chill was minus 5 degrees.

The first house fire call came in at 10:30 a.m., via cell phone from homeowner Brandon Zenger of 1004 Garfield Ave. The second came at 11:50 a.m. from Peter Bergum, 111 Apple Place, said Clare Bills, public relations officer for the city of Ames.

At the scene on Garfield Avenue just after 11 a.m., Bills said a command bus was on the way. It provided warm shelter and hot drinks for firefighters to protect them from the cold as they worked “defensively” in shifts to extinguish the fire that had claimed the robin’s egg-blue one-story house, she said.

“The firefighters are miserable,” Bills said. “It is difficult to keep functioning in this bitter weather.”

But for the more than 20 firefighters at the Garfield Avenue blaze, it was all in a day’s work.

Audra Piittmann, with engine three, said, “We’re well insulated. This is common with increased need for heating.”

As water sprayed from the hoses on to each fire, a mist coated the firefighters.

Ice formed on their helmets and coats, but Piittmann said it helped the insulation. “We’ll be fine as long as we stay frozen,” she said.

Ames Fire Chief Clint Petersen said the weather made the job more difficult in a few ways.

Not only were firefighters rotated to prevent weather-related injury, but one hose line froze as well.

“[Weather like this] cuts firefighter work time in about half.”

When the second call came in, a crew of 10 was formed at the Garfield Avenue site and dispatched to Apple Place, said firefighter Doug Wierson.

“It’s not so bad for us in this situation. Our gear keeps us pretty warm,” Wierson said. “We just have to make sure we don’t get too exhausted.”

At the Apple Place fire no rotation was permitted because resources were fewer, Wierson said.

Both house fires were started after each homeowner attempted to thaw frozen pipes using a propane torch.

Both fires were fought only from the outside due to the extent of damage to the structures. Officials confirmed there were no injuries at either location, but both homes were declared total losses. Both families had insurance.