The Perry Volunteer Fire Department will be holding a training session today, and it will cause the closure of a portion of Willis Avenue for several hours.

The training will take place at the house located at the corner of Willis and 14th Street, which was largely destroyed by a fire on March 1st. During the training, Willis will be closed to all traffic between 13th and 15th streets, as will 14th to Otley Street, from around 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Assistant Fire Chief Brian Eiteman emphasizes there will be no danger to the public during the exercise, but asks people to avoid the area. He adds, depending on the wind conditions this afternoon, the Fire Department may take the house completely down with the controlled burn. However, if Eiteman feels the wind is too strong and would pose a threat to neighboring houses, he will delay that action.

The house being used for the training caught fire as a result of a construction mishap. No one was injured during the blaze, which took several hours to extinguish. The structure is still fairly in tact, though it was deemed a total loss, making it an ideal setting for the exercise.