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Dozens looked on this afternoon as firefighters worked to contain a fire near Douglas County Fairgrounds. Luckily, it was only a training exercise for the Castle Rock Fire Department. Periodically, fire departments set ‘burn pods’ or ‘burn buildings’ of different sizes ablaze to simulate what fire fighters might experience when they are called out to real-life situations in the field. The fire training structure also provides a safe environment for them to test out their equipment and get some hands on training for skills they need to sharpen. Such fire structures can range from looking like a small house to mimicking an apartment building that rescue responders might encounter. And many of these fabricated buildings can and are reused, so we can rest easy that our tax dollars are being put to good use.