Lakewood, Wash. – Traffic was halted at the 11000 block of Pacific Hwy SW around 1030 this morning. This was due to the training burn conducted by Lakewood Fire District 2 that started at 0930 on July 7, 2009. The purpose of the burn was to give firefighters training in live fire. Crews were able to set approximately 5 fires prior to letting the building burn down.
Firefighters were able to learn more about fire behavior, breaching walls and truck operations. New firefighters gain the most from this valuable training exercise. They are given the opportunity to utilize breathing apparatus in a hazardous atmosphere, become acclimated to the high temperatures inside a burning building and understand the limited visibility in a fire situation.
The exercise began to wrap up at around 1130 am this morning.