Moore's Mill Volunteer firefighters trained to save you and your family from possible house fires.

The department says a house was donated to be burned down on Winchester Road in Huntsville. On Sunday afternoon, firefighters lit the home on fire and learned how to safely respond to it.

Firefighters tell WAAY 31 the opportunity to train in a real home is rare.

"The whole house can go from standing like it is to nothing on the ground in a matter of minutes," said firefighter, Tyler Bias.

Firefighters say responding to house fires can be very dangerous.

"There's always a fear-factor with it. You're going to be nervous. It's on fire. That's going to be anybody. You're crazy if you're not scared," said Bias.

That's why they appreciate every chance they get to train.

"A lot of times, we might get one every six months. If we are lucky, we might get two or three over a quarter," said firefighter,
Zachary Trulson.

This weekend, a house in Huntsville was donated to be burned down.

"Either someone owns a bunch of land and they're building a new farm house or they are turning it into a subdivision, so they are trying to get rid of their old home on the property," said Trulson.

They say when they are able to train in houses, they get to learn forcible entry, how to improve response time and their heat limitations.

"This gives us the opportunity to make it look like it actually would in a real scenario," said Trulson.

"With this, you have walls, doors, everything. You can see how the fire affects the house," said Bias.

Residents who live nearby say people should donate old homes more often.

"I'll know that if something happens, they will be able to save us and save our houses basically," said resident, Jade Yassin.

"It makes me feel safe. I know I'll be taken care of," said Kirsten Parsons.

If you have an old home you would like to donate for training purposes, you can contact the Moore's Mill Volunteer Fire Department at (256) 859-6350.