Watch a Live Burn Exercise in Sauquoit

Did you see smoke from a big fire this weekend in Sauquoit? There was a controlled burn of a house on Sunday (May 28, 2017), and lots of area Fire Departments got to take part in the training.

The Sauquoit Fire Company hosted the exercise and several nearby departments,  including Clayville, Cedarville, Cassville, Paris Hill, Yorkville and Frankfort Hill, got to participate in this real-world training scenario. This was a unique opportunity for all those involved.

According to Corey Farley, EMS Captain for Sauquoit, the live burn was completed in cooperation with the land owner. The house had been vacant for over 20 years, originally built as offices for a local mill. It was slated for demolition and the owner approached the Sauquoit Fire Company to see if they had a use for it. After months of preparation, they were ready for the exercise.

We immediately opened the invitation to our surrounding fire departments because we believe that working together builds better morale and camaraderie within the Brotherhood. (Corey Farley)

The house was demolished before they set it ablaze. They used the drill to practice "water supply operations" - using tankers and other water sources when working outside a fire hydrant zone. They completed the exercise successfully with no injuries, and all the participating departments gained some valuable training.

Thanks to Tom Sheehy of TAS Electronics in Yorkville, you can watch some of the fire safely from above.

Did you see the smoke from this fire and wonder why you didn't hear sirens? Now you know the full story.

BONUS VIDEO