By Brenna Angel
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-951551.mp3
LEXINGTON, Ky. – They suited up in their protective gear, turned on the water hoses, and listened for instructions as smoke billowed from a vacant home on Chilesburg Road.
Everything about Thursday morning's fire was real, except the emergency. The firefighters were a group of recruits in their 15th week of training with the Lexington Division of Fire, and this was one of their final training exercises.
"It's as close as we can get in a training scenario. Of course in a real fire you have the contents of the home, you have clutter, you have other things that certainly complicate it. But in this training scenario this is the best we can do to make it safe. We use other training without live fire to learn how to handle the other situations."
Battalion Chief Marshall Griggs says even though this fire was started intentionally with straw and wood pallets, the recruits still get a rush knowing they're fighting a live fire. Graduation is set for next week.
Crews spent all day at the house, which will eventually be completely burned and torn down. The city owns the building and the lot, which backs up to Jacobson Park.