An empty wooden villa was deliberately set alight in Milton yesterday ... 18 times.
The villa on State Highway 1, at the north end of the town was scheduled for demolition and the owner offered it to the Fire Service for some house fire practice, Fire Service Regional Training Officer Keith Ferris, of Dunedin, said.
Not ones to turn down an increasingly rare offer, the Milton and Brighton volunteer fire brigades were up bright and early, eager to burn down a house.
Starting in a front room, firefighters systematically set each room on fire, and practised containment, control and extinguishing techniques.
Having a house to burn was increasingly rare. Firefighters trained in hot boxes at various stations, but they did not have the heat build-up experienced in a real fire, Mr Ferris said.
"This is the best training we can get for a firefighter."
Milton Deputy Chief Fire Officer Robbie Philip, who organised the exercise, said it was a great opportunity for firefighters to observe fire patterns and behaviour as it progressed through a building.
What remained after the house burned to the ground would be cleaned up by contractors and the section cleared over the next few days, he said.
