Firefighters from Elgin and Plainview gathered April 18 to undertake a practice fire on property owned by Jim and Deb Klavetter, about five miles southwest of Elgin on County Road 24.
According to the Plainview News, a crowd watched as the firefighters set fire to a two-story house, built around the turn of the 20th century, and smoke billowed out. The house was soon engulfed in a roaring mass of flames.
The firefighters sprayed water on the house and worked to ensure the fire did not spread.
Elgin fire chief Dusty Wehrs (WEERS) said it was a successful practice session, noting that everything went great, they were able to get a lot of firefighters in real-life scenarios that they can encounter during structure fire incidents. The firefighters worked on fire behavior, ventilation, pump operations, and fire ground communication. Chief Wehrs says they were joined by some Plainview firefighters and also had the Elgin Ambulance there.
Wehrs said he’s thankful that the Klavetters offered the house to be able to conduct the training. That benefits both parties, “as we get a great training and they are able to get rid of a structure on their building site.”