They will have been practicing putting out the fires most of the day to that point. A nearly universal condition of being allowed to use a house for burn practice is that the FD leave nothing but a hole in the ground when they're done. It is the 'price' paid for using it- the contractor saves the cost of demolition and hauling in return for donating it for FD use. The last burn of the day is set to allow the house to burn completely up. -Jim (Lieutenant, Engine 114 Indianapolis) http://www.StepUpforCharity.org