Behind The Scenes Of Unpredictable House Fires With Sacramento Metro Fire
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — House fires are unpredictable, and Sacramento Metro Fire is preparing for all of the elements.
So what's it like to battle a massive house fire in June heat?
Putting out a house fire is something Sacramento Metro firefighters do every day, but on Wednesday CBS13 tagged along to show you what it looks like and feels like to be inside a house fire.
Metro Fire said they don't treat these fires like a training exercise. Within seconds, the South Sacramento home they used for training was up in flames.
The flames are hot inside, almost painful. Even with proper equipment on, you can feel the heat.
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Crews battled the fire spreading through every room. You can see how quickly someone would be in danger, as crews searched through the one-story home looking for victims.
Outside, firefighters worked hard, knocking holes through the roof to let air in and the smoke out.
"We have to treat these for real, because they are, but also because we don't get these opportunities to practice in a real-life situation very often," said Chris Vestal with Metro Fire.
Hari Johl has owned this house for 13 years. He donated it To Metro Fire, so they could train inside.
READ: Firefighters Fighting Live Training Fires In South Sacramento
"It takes a headache for me to demolish a home and look over the properties. I turned it over to the fire department, they've been kind of looking over the properties," Johl said.
A new housing development will be built in its place in the next year. Metro Fire said not every house donated is accepted. They have to be structurally-sound and checked for asbestos, but fire crews tell us this kind of training is irreplaceable.
"When we have a homeowner that's willing to, with stable property, we really try to make it work. Not just for the homeowner, but also for us, for the training benefit," Vestal said.
You may see this training exercises popping up in your neighborhood, Metro Fire does these every couple of months.