Last week, the Big Lake Fire Dept. held a house burning event.

An old house in Orrock out by Svea Hill Church was donated to the fire dept. by the property owner, Jake Nelson. For the last couple of months, the department has been using the house for training activities, including training with ladders, RIT (Rapid Intervention Team), ventilation, and other exercises. The training came to a head last Friday, however, when Big Lake firefighters set the building on fire in order to train during a live burn. 

The building was reinforced with drywall, and the team ended up doing seven runs through the building, setting fires and putting them out again, before eventually letting the house burn down completely. 

Not only did the homeowner give the BLFD excellent training opportunities, but he also provided a meal for the firefighters: Barbeque, a fitting meal for a house burning.

Some representatives of the Becker Fire Dept. also joined in the event. Becker recently hosted their own live burn and invited members of the BLFD.