While it may have been fake fire, at least it was a real house.

A live, in-home fire simulation training at a residence on Sixth Street in Weyburn had some people taking notice last Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

"It went very well," said Fire Chief Simon Almond with Weyburn Fire Services. "We tried some new techniques which we were successful and we made some adjustments to some of our operating and response criteria," he said. "Overall in all it was a very worthwhile exercise."

He said ithere were a few families from the area who sat on lawn chairs to watch the action, complete with snacks.

While they don't do this sort of thing too often, they do it sometimes with less community attention.

Almond said it's an invaluable thing to find a house for this purpose, even if the government regulations prohibit the use of real fire.

"We can't simulate this in our training centre that we have right now, adequately enough. So when we get properties, real properties, to use for this, we relish it and welcome it."

This particular property helped Weyburn Fire Services practice utilizing an aerial device to do rooftop ventilation, as it has a really unique roof structure, is steep, and has the now-rarely-seen cedar shingles. The home is designated for demolition, which is why it was the perfect location for the training.

Read more: Local Fire Services Getting Rare Opportunity