Sylvan Lake firefighters got a unique opportunity to practise their skills and study how fire reacts when they burned down a vacant house west of Sylvan Lake last Wednesday.
About 30 firefighters and recruits participated in training exercises in the smoke filled house early in the evening, before it was finally vented, doused with accelerant and lit on fire.
Kim Moench, owner of the property, said the house was about 60 years old and had been added onto twice. He plans to build a new house on the location and felt providing firefighters the opportunity to practise and destroy the building was a good deal. Otherwise he’d have had to demolish the building and truck out the debris.
“Cliff (fire chief Brausen) was great to work with.”