A Practice Fire At The Landfill

By Andrew Gorosko

Botsford firefighters Tuesday evening accomplished two purposes at the town landfill off Turkey Hill Road.

In igniting and burning down a dilapidated mobile home being kept there, they had an opportunity to practice firefighting techniques useful in battling mobile home fires. The firemen also disposed of a useless structure, whose remains will be sifted through for recyclable materials.

The mobile home had a sign emblazoned on it warning firefighters that they should check the interior before starting the drill to ensure that no stray cats were hiding inside. Firemen also checked for any vagrants that might be lurking in the structure.

In going through the mobile home, firemen found a large amount of printed matter that had been left there by the trailer’s owner.

Later, when the trailer was ignited, the presence of the debris caused a smoldering fire, which burned for several hours. “It was a slow burn,” said Botsford Fire Chief Steve Belair, noting it took about three hours for the 600-square-foot structure to burn down.

Botsford firemen dispatched five fire trucks to the scene, two of which were used in the drill. About 15 firefighters participated.

Trailers typically burn fast, but the presence of a large number of newspapers and magazines inside retarded the blaze, Chief Belair said.

The exercise gave firefighters an opportunity to practice a special cut they make into the skin of burning mobile homes to gain access to the structures, he said. Also, the drill provided training in fire tanker shuttling, the use of fire hoses, general safety practices, and structure fire control, he said.

Because the drill continued until 10:30 pm, firefighters used nighttime illumination carried on fire trucks, Chief Belair said.