New Hanover County Fire crews battle house fire in real-life training exercise

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — New Hanover Fire and Rescue crews conducted live training all day on an abandoned house in Monkey Junction to increase their skills when responding to building fires.

They say it’s important to do this type of practice at least once a year to prepare for real-life scenarios.

Many fire fighters say this type of training is something they look forward to.

Although fire fighters train year-round, they say nothing compares to the real thing.

“There’s nowhere we can simulate this and get all the benefits we get in an acquired structure,” training officer Blake Turner said. “A training facility and block building just doesn’t mimic the the actual fire behavior that we see in a training ground like what we’re at today.”

Turner says the windy conditions help train the fire fighters to put out fires in any kind of weather.