EDEN VALLEY — “Newbie” firefighters came face to face with racing vermilion flames Sunday morning, watching them lap up a wall and flash overhead.
One quick, misty blast from a firehose nozzle sent amber sparks flying in a swirl of dense, rising smoke.
It was only a drill, but as close to the real deal as possible — part of typical Clallam County Fire District No. 2 training.
About 20 firefighters participated in the “training burn” that involved setting diesel-fueled cardboard fires inside a ramshackle house on Eden Valley Road.
Ultimately, the structure was burned down while neighborhood residents and children safely watched from the road.
“These people go in as a team and they come out as a team,” Fire Chief Jon Bugher said at the “training burn” scene nearly three miles up Eden Valley Road from state Highway 112.
Each “newbie” was accompanied by a fire district veteran, part of the “buddy” system, Bugher said. Newbies took turns crawling into smoke-filled rooms in full firefighting regalia, including breathing apparatuses.