West Point house burned to the ground for control burn

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – A house in West Point burns to the ground today, but this was no disaster.

This was an opportunity for West Point firefighters to get real, hands-on practice at battling a blaze.

The controlled burn was at an empty house on fifth street.

Crews were able to put their equipment and strategies to the test.

They practiced establishing a firebreak and setting a downwind backfire to reduce the amount of fuel the main fire could come in contact with.

The department will review the exercise to see what works, and where improvements can be made.