Photos courtesy of the Panora Fire Department

Folks driving on Highway 44 on the east side of Panora may have felt bewildered at the sight of four fire departments fighting a blaze at the former Brokers International property last Sunday.

Those worried can breathe a sigh of relief as it was a planned controlled burn for the fire departments. The Panora Fire Department and other local agencies have gotten to use the building for different training exercises since Panora Telco purchased the building and deemed it unfeasible for future use. Panora Assistant Fire Chief and Training Officer Ed Haver said the burn went very well, as they started at about 8:15 a.m. and at approximately 10:30 they were headed back to the fire hall. Haver said this burn was a good opportunity for the volunteers to use air packs and practice roof ventilation.

Haver shares what the Brokers International property has given back to the fire department, “Oh this is great experience, not just the burn and planning the burn and watching the flame movement what we did with ventilation. But we had a couple months where we did some really good search and rescue training. We simulated having to put a hole in a wall and take a victim out of a room. It was a great experience for everybody I think.”

Haver says Panora Telco plans to clean the debris off the property and level it for future development.