January 29, 1996

Family home goes up in smoke

       Erica Foster was all smiles Saturday as she watched her family’s house go up in flames.  “This is so exciting,” she said, as she watched firefighters tackle flames in a fully engulfed apartment above the garage. Firefighters from the White River Fire Department spent the weekend setting fires in the home and garage, then rushing to extinguish the flames. Foster’s grandparents, Howard and Margaret Eads, built the two-story home in the 1950s. Foster was raised there, but moved after her grandparents passed away.  The house, which had been vacant since the summer of 1993, was slated to be torn down for residential development. Foster donated it to the fire department as a training site.  FIRE. Inc., or Fire/Industry Research and Education, videotaped the action to show other firefighters in training.  Company photographers and videographers donned firefighting gear and filmed footage right by the firefighters’ sides The Demotte-based company sells the firsthand training videos nationwide.  One cameraman, Lou Angeli, has shot footage for the movie “Backdraft,” the television show “Rescue 911” and Cable News Network’s coverage of the terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City.  Steve Mourer, White River fire deputy chief, is overseeing the ongoing practice-burn project.  A bedroom and upstairs apartment were the first to go Saturday, but the whole house and garage will eventually be burned to the ground.  “We’ll be out here four weekends, then the final burn-down will be in March when it’s warmer,” Mourer said.
He said the project stresses the cooperative effort between the White River, Bargersville and Greenwood fire departments, all of which are participating in the practice fires.  He said the departments often rely on one another. “We’d like to emphasize that all three departments come together to assist one another for the mutual benefit of the taxpayers,” Mourer said.  Rick Cooley, president of the White River department, was glad the house was donated rather than demolished.  “A lot of times it’s cheaper to burn a house down, and it’s good practice for us,” he said.  “I’m glad that this is being done for the public’s benefit,” said Foster, who is living in Fort Wayne and preparing for her wedding next month.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

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