The Perry Volunteer Fire Department successfully burned a vacant house at the intersection of First Avenue (Iowa Highway 144) and 123rd Place this morning in a routine test of the firefighters’ equipment and procedures.
Traffic on 123rd Place was briefly rerouted during the exercise, which Perry Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Hinds called “a complete success.”
The fire crew first opened vent holes in the roof of the structure in order to control the progress of the blaze. The plan worked, Hinds said, and the structure burned with no damage to nearby outbuildings.
“A burn like this gives our crew a chance to test all the nozzles and vales and get a good feel for the hoses when they’re under high pressure,” he said.
The fire was kindled about 7:30 a.m. and the structure was down by 8:30 a.m., with firefighters expected to remain on scene until about 10 a.m.
