N.Ky. firefighters practice their skills during live burn at Hebron home

HEBRON, Ky. - An old farmhouse off Arbor Tech Drive served as a training ground allowing a live burn for firefighters from a handful of departments throughout Northern Kentucky.

"We've prepped each room. There are five different locations where we are setting fires. We let the rooms heat up, smoke up and they send in crews to do a fire attack much like a regular fire," said Captain Doug Baker with the Point Pleasant Fire Protection District.

Live burns at homes are rare due to strict government regulations according to firefighters.

"The Environmental Protection Agency requires us to do certain things. There are no shingles on the roof, any asbestos has to be removed. So there is a huge safety element. Our job is safety, nobody gets hurt," said Baker.

To make Saturday's training happen, the owner of the property, Shane Heilman, provided services from his restoration company, PuroClean Property Rescue.

"We do asbestos removal and remove the roofs and that is usually a difficult hurdle for fire departments to get a house approved through the EPA to burn it so it worked out very well we could take care of that for them," Heilman said.

It's also an opportunity for young firefighters in training to get hands on experience.

"With me being new to the fire department and new fire service, it helps me understand how the fire grows and progresses," said Jake Burdine, an intern with Point Pleasant Fire Protection District.