Eau Claire County Barn Fire | Fall Creek, WI Fire Department

I was invited in to photograph the Fall Creek, WI Fire Department doing a barn burn exercise. The barn was located in Eau Claire County outside of Fall Creek, Wisconsin. The fire training started with small controlled burns inside the barn. They allowed the fire to get larger and larger, extinguishing it each time. It was a thrill to set the air and smoke heat up to just before its flash point. When the air and smoke get that hot it starts to violently roll along the ceiling of the barn like an angry ocean swell. The flash point is the temperature in which the air is hot enough to actually  ignite the smoke that it carries.  Once all the Fall Creek fire personnel had their chance to work inside the barn for training, they set up outside to burn the barn down while maintaining control. Once everyone was in place outside, they lit the barn up. They sprayed water from all sides of the barn to maintain control but the fire was still able to consume the wooden structure within less than 45 minutes. I owe a big thank you to the Fall Creek Fire Department for allowing me to capture your firefighters at work.

Travis Dewitz is a remarkable photographer in the Chippewa Valley. He is well known for photographing local sceneries, landmarks, venues, buildings and people in various and ingenious ways. Though you not know him personally, his work provides a unique foundation of our local community and his photographs are unmistakable. Dewitz’s pictures are an impressive feat and preserve a moment; long after our travels are over, and our memories faded, photos are what remind us of the adventures we had and the connections to the people we met. Learn more about him here.

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