These two houses on West Canal Street behind Eureka Hardware will be burnt to the ground on March 30th as part of a live fire training. (Photo by Stacey Carmany, Tusco TV)

Newcomerstown, Ohio - A Newcomerstown business is giving the village an opportunity to take care of a few eyesores and county firefighters a chance to take part in a live fire training.

Newcomerstown Emergency Rescue Squad President Heather Stein-Wells says Eureka Hardware store officials have asked the department to help them get rid of two vacant houses on West Canal Street so they can expand their parking area. She says both structures will be burned to the ground during a countywide fire training exercise on March 30th.

“There are some classes going on in Tuscarawas County, so we’re actually going to use those houses not only to conduct fire training inside but once we’re finished with that training inside, we’re actually going to burn the houses completely down to help Eureka make that extra parking,” she says.

She says they are trying to get the word out to residents now so they won’t be alarmed if they pass by and see the houses burning. 

“We just wanted to caution and make residents aware that it’s not an actual emergency, that we are conducting training, and then make them aware if there’s anybody that’s sensitive or has allergies to smoke or anything, that we will be using that area,” she says.

Stein-Wells says the area will be closed off to traffic that day starting at around 8 am so firefighters can hook up their hoses, but she says passersby are welcome to stick around and observe the training from a safe distance. 

“Absolutely, but we just want to caution them that it will be a live fire and fire hoses and things of that sort, so we just want to caution everybody to be careful,” she says. 

She expects they’ll be wrapping up the exercise and able to reopen the roads shortly after noon. 

STACEY CARMANY, TUSCO TV