It's not every day you get to see firefighters battle a blaze, but people in Branford were doing that on Saturday - and it was planned.
It was a training exercise and demolition to make way for a brand new YMCA building in Branford.
Refreshments and a burning building don't usually go together, but the Branford Fire Department invited people to see them set an old house on fire.
"I said before you build, you must burn. So the house on the property, we're actually burning it today," explained Doug Shaw of the YMCA.
The fire department jumped at the chance to create a training exercise for department newbies.
"They're going to learn how to prepared for fires in the future," said Scott Heffernan, Branford Fire Marshall. He said the department members would travel throughout the whole building.
The department planned to serve coffee and chocolate for volunteers and onlookers alike during the "controlled burn".
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When it is all said and done, the patch of land will look quite different.
"We serve a group of towns around Branford," said Shaw. The new 47,000 square foot facility will provide services for child care, seniors and teenagers.
The construction shovels will hit the ground in the spring.
The YMCA has raised some money for the project, but Shaw said it still needs more.
