Philomath Fire and Rescue plans to burn down a house on North 13th Street in Philomath this weekend as part of a training exercise, Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa announced.
The house, located at 545 N. 13th St., will be the site of a “Burn to Learn” event on Sunday, March 3. Preparations and training at the property will be conducted this week leading up to the event. Sunday’s schedule shows setup beginning at 7:30 a.m. with ignition to occur at 10 a.m. Saalsaa said the burn and training will continue until approximately 4 p.m. He added that the structure would likely smolder through the evening, although rain in the forecast could shorten that time.
“There will be smoke produced as part of the training exercise, though our intent is to make the fire as hot as possible to minimize smoke production,” Saalsaa said. “The weather calls for the chance of light snow and rain showers. There will be steam generated in the extinguishment process.”
Saalsaa said the house has been abated for asbestos and stripped of furnishings.
North 13th Street will remain open, though Saalsaa said there will be increased traffic to and from the site.
“We will have hose stretched across the driveway and no access by vehicle will be permitted past the end of North 13th Street onto the driveway of the property, which is a flag lot,” he said.
Philomath Fire and Rescue anticipates using up to 3,000 gallons of water during the event, Saalsaa said. He said a limited number of spectators — on foot only — can be accommodated in an area furthest south on the property.
For those with questions, call Saalsaa at 541-360-0030.