As students slept in this morning, the Madison Fire Department responded to a factory fire on Atlas Avenue.

Low temperatures hindered Madison firefighters’ ability to put out the fire, MFD spokesperson Lori Wirth said.

“The cold weather was a real problem,” Wirth said. “We had some low water pressure as a result for much of the morning and things freeze up pretty quick in this weather.”

Wirth said the fire has been burning since approximately 6 a.m. this morning, but is currently under control.

She said the firefighters have managed to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings in the area.

The building affected is at 314 Atlas Ave. and owned by Windsor Building Systems, a construction company producing factory built wall paneling and roof and floor trusses for installation, according to its website.

In a video uploaded by madison.com, Assistant Plant Manager Ben Vadnais said the company was working at the time, but workers managed to exit the building safely.

Wirth said not only did the weather affect the efficiency of the firefighters’ equipment, but also made it difficult for firefighters to walk across higher ground because it was frozen.

Wirth said it is impossible to determine the cause of this fire at this time because firefighters have not been able to safely enter the building.

[Photo via Windsor Building Systems’ website]