A noxious-looking spire of black and yellow smoke rose from a burning house at 841 49th Ave NE on Saturday, Oct. 7. Despite a full turnout of the Columbia Heights Fire Department, none of the firefighters seemed to be concerned about extinguishing the fire. A bystander commented, “They sure are lackadaisical about it.” Told it was a training exercise, he nodded in understanding and watched, mesmerized by the orange flames swirling inside the house.
The house, abandoned for many years, had been acquired by the City of Columbia Heights. CHFD Chief Lenny Austin said setting the building on fire was a good opportunity to train his crew and save the city some money. “Apparently, this is cheaper than demolition,” he said, then explained, “Normally, we train at a concrete fire tower where someone turns gas on and off. A real fire like this behaves much differently. But you can’t take time to do a lecture when you’re trying to save someone’s home.”
As the day progressed, firefighters began poking holes in the stucco exterior, pushing the fire onto itself. A demolition crew was scheduled for cleanup the following week. Columbia Heights spokesperson Will Rottler said the lot would be cleared for development of some kind, but indicated there are no immediate plans for the site.
Firefighters get ready for live burn training at an abandoned property, the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7 in Columbia Heights. After blocking off portions of the street and a brief meeting, the firefighters and the training team began running a series of exercises in teams.
Later in the training, the home is engulfed in flames. Bottom: Firefighters trained a hose on a nearby tree that caught fire during the exercises.
