Burning Down the House

Smoke may be visible from Interstate 15 in Murrieta this week, as the Murrieta Fire Department conducts live fire training on a vacant structure.

The owner of a single-story house at 25582 Madison Ave. (south of Wal-Mart) has donated it for educational purposes, fire officials said in a news release.

The live training is scheduled between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Each day, 15 fire personnel will improve their fire techniques through the real-life drill, said Matt Corelli, spokesman for the . The fire will be concentrated in a separate area of the structure each day.

"This is a very rare. We have very little opportunities to do live fire training," Corelli said.

The house, just north of the Madison and Guava intersection, has been vacant for some time. Corelli explained there are several steps the fire department must go through to certify the building as safe for training.

Corelli said the windows and doors, which stand open to the elements, would be boarded up with plywood to provide a more realistic fire scene. Old lumber will ignite the blaze.

A garage adjacent the house will not be included in the burn zone, but will be used for ladder exercises and roof access training.

"The training exercise will give firefighters the opportunity to utilize equipment...with a goal of giving them practical experience in a controlled environment," a news release stated.

There is no plan to close Madison Avenue or other roads in the area, officials said.

Fire officials apologized in advance for any inconvenience or disruption to the public the training may cause.