Local firefighters on Friday did something that would seem at odds with their job description: they let a house burn.

A house on Jackson Street was set ablaze so the departments could train. And there was the added benefit of clearing a structure the Chilton County Airport Authority needed moved anyway because it interfered with the use of the runway.

The controlled burn also marked the first time the Clanton Fire Department used its ladder truck, which was received in June, to spray water on a fire.

Clanton Fire Chief David Driver said the truck was spraying about 1,000 gallons per minute, about half of the truck’s capability.

“We actually had to back off of it because it was putting out the fire,” Driver said.

Eight Clanton and four East Chilton firefighters participated. The airport authority had recently purchased the property.