Firefighters to burn Sisters house

A house in Sisters will go up in flames on Saturday, February 25 — and for firefighters it’s a good thing.

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department will conduct a “burn to learn” training exercise on Saturday, February 25 at a house at 415 E. Washington St. in Sisters, according to Assistant Fire Chief Ken Enoch. The exercise will begin at 8 a.m. and will last most of the morning.

Sections of East Washington and South Larch streets will be closed during the training exercise, Enoch added.

Residents who live close to the property received a letter from the department this past week advising them of the burn and inviting them to contact the department with any questions.

“The purpose of the exercise is to provide training to your firefighters under realistic conditions,” Enoch wrote in his letter. “They will be practicing search and rescue skills along with fire attack, ventilation, and exposure protection activities.”

Enoch assured neighbors of the property that this will be a controlled exercise with a fire department officer on the scene and sufficient resources available to conduct the training safely for the firefighters and to protect neighboring properties. While wind conditions will be monitored, he advised neighbors to keep windows closed during the burn and to contact department personnel on the scene if smoke enters their house.

Firefighters from the Black Butte Ranch and Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection Districts have been invited to participate in the burn exercise.

On February 7, an Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Haz-Mat team checked the residence for any hazardous chemicals or materials and found none. Some asbestos had been removed earlier from the house, Enoch said.

In January 2005, an early morning house fire at the residence did an estimated $10,000 damage. A working smoke alarm awoke the renter who escaped without injury. The property has since been sold to Harry Lynch. The house was recently determined to be unsuited for occupancy.