The volunteer fire departments from four Perry-area communities — Bouton, Woodward, Granger and Slater — conducted a training exercise in Bouton Saturday, setting fire to a structure at 311 Washington St. and practicing a variety of firefighting techniques.
Brian Sondgeroth, chief of the Bouton Volunteer Fire Department, said the training exercise went smoothly and largely as planned.
“This is a great way for departments to work on their methods in a controlled environment,” Sondgeroth said.
One volunteer firefighter was reportedly overcome by heat and treated on the scene by Dallas County EMS staff.
Karl Harris, captain in the Woodward Volunteer Fire Department, said the exercise “overall was a very good training, with multiple interior entries.”
The house and lot are owned by Bernard and nancy Hegstrom of Des Moines, according to records of the Dallas County Assessor’s office.
The spectacle also gave Bouton residents and others a chance to enjoy the mild spring weather while watching the building burn to the ground.
Firemen are always the most avid and passionate of arsonists.