Motorists and others who saw black smoke around the area of 17th Street and 10th Avenue North Wednesday morning had no reason to panic as the Columbus Fire Department was conducting one of its regular practice fires.
While no one called 911 to report the 17th Street fire, E-911 Director Sheri Fancher said dispatchers got several calls about a controlled burn on Officers Lake Road.
Firefighters use controlled burns as training opportunities. Property owners can offer their dilapidated properties for the controlled burns if it meets certain criteria.
And weather Wednesday offered firefighters the perfect opportunity to practice their training.
Because of windy conditions last week, firefighters were not able to have a practice fire, Mike Ward of Columbus Fire and Rescue said.
“The weather cooperated with us today, so we decided to have a practice fire,” Ward said. “We have recently hired a new firefighter, and we wanted him to get a feel of what it is like to deal with a real fire.”
Ward said the firefighters used an unoccupied house on the corner of 17th Street and 10th Avenue North as a place to practice.
“Derrick Nash, the building inspector for the city of Columbus, let us use this house because of its dilapidated condition. We usually do our practice fires in dilapidated houses,” Ward said.
He added that the houses have to be free of asbestos before they can be used for a practice fire.
Columbus Fire and Rescue tries to do at least three practice fires a month, Ward added.
“We did 18 practice fires last year,” he noted.
Allen Baswell was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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