Fire department uses controlled burn for practice

The Hampton Fire Department performed a controlled burn at 404 Third Street SW on Monday, Aug. 10.

Not only does the controlled burn rid the city of a nuisance property, it also gives the firefighters the opportunity to practice with their equipment in a real-life fire environment.

“We have a lot of new guys so this is the first fire for some of them,” said Fire Chief Kent Wilkinson. “And we have the new truck, so we got to see how it works.”

After preparing the house for the burn, the fire department let it go, using a “water wall” to protect the neighboring property and keeping the nearby trees wet and cool with their hoses. Fortunately the afternoon rain helped with that and while other parts of the state suffered from heavy winds, the weather in Hampton couldn’t have been better for the evening burn.

“It all went well,” said Wilkinson.

The city can do up to two controlled burns in a year. The fire department is already planning for a second one coming up later this year.