Long past its prime, the place was surrounded by firefighters from Badger, Clare and Vincent using the structure for a training exercise.

To Groat, this wasn’t just a rundown house. It was where she spent her formative years, learning her ABCs.

“This was called School No. 10,” she said. “It was a typical country-type school.”

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-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Badger firefighter Jason Smith keeps an out towards the exterior of the house as the freshly set fire gets going behind him.

Badger firefighter Chad Swanson had organized the training exercise.

“We’re simulating an interior fire to make it as real as possible while keeping it contained,” he said. “It’s a simulated fire attack.”

A bale of straw and a few pallets were set on fire inside. After letting the fire build up heat and smoke, crews entered through one of several doors, found the fire and put it out.

It’s as real as it can get except for one factor.

“In a real situation you don’t know what to expect,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea The bucket of a snorkel truck provided an excellent overall view of the scene Saturday afternoon.

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Groat fondly recalled the school.

“We had the big room and the little room,” she said. “Kindergarten to fourth grade was in the little room. Fifth through eight were in the big room.”

It wasn’t quite as primitive as some country schools.

“We were the only one with indoor plumbing.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen An undated family photo shows Alten Vinsand and his brother Roger Vinsand, standing, in front of what was once School Number 10 in Badger. The building was burned for training Saturday.

When workers had gone through the property to remove asbestos before turning it over to the fire department, they had uncovered several sections of old lath and plaster walls painted black.

Those were chalkboards and one of them still had a spelling word list in neatly penned cursive.

Groat might have cleaned it once upon a time.

“It was an honor to do that.” she said.

Her dad, Ervin Baker, was once a student there too.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen A crew exits the home after practicing in the interior Saturday morning. Firefighters set smaller fires in the home’s rooms then made entry and put them out for practice before letting the structure burn later in the day.

“He would be 104 this year.”

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Once several crews had experienced going in for an interior attack, crews prepared the structure for its final fate: being burned to the ground.

To do that involves much more than lighting a fire.

Crews cut holes in the roof for ventilation.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Renwick firefighter Josh Lippolt sprays water on the burning structure Saturday afternoon. Spraying the outside of the structure allows the interior to burn and helps prevent the walls from collapsing outwards.

A home and a vinyl fence next door were covered with tarps to protect them from radiant heat.

A water deck was set up to help keep it cool. Crews set up hose lines to do the same for the neighboring home’s roof too.

Even then, they didn’t just let it burn.

“When we light it to burn down we’ll spray water on the exterior walls to keep them cool,” Swanson said.

By letting the interior burn first, the hope is that the exterior walls will fall inward.

Caution is the word of the day.

“Even with a small home it can get out of control real quick,” he said. “Just when you think you have it figured out, it does something else. It has a mind of its own. It’s a living breathing thing.”

The practice was a first for Badger firefighter Kayla Sterler, who has about a year on the department.

“I’ve never been in a real burn,” she said.

Her trip in to put out the pallet fire went by in a flash.

“It goes way fast,” she said. “It’s a lot of situational awareness.”

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Later in the day, after attending a funeral, Groat sat quietly and watched the fire take the building down.

“I’m feeling sentimental,” she said. “I think back to all the fun times we had.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Badger firefighter Kayla Sterler looks over an old chalkboard painted on the wall inside the building burning for training Saturday. There were still spelling word lists on it. It was uncovered when crews removing asbestos removed a layer of drywall.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Two crews direct wter towards the burning building and the neighboring home to keep it cool and damage free.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Clare Fire Chief Danny Licht directs water at the bucket of a large excavator being used to knock down the last standing walls towards the end of the Saturday controlled burn.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Flames consume the interior of the structure which was once a school building.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Badger firefighter Chris Vendell is reflected in a puddle of water Saturday morning as he operates one of the department’s pumper trucks.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Badger firefighter Matt McClellan stops to chat with Kati Swanson and her son Carter Swanson, 8, as they watch the controlled burn.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Before igniting the old structure for the final time firefighters cover the neighboring home with tarps to protect it from radiant heat. During the fire, the also sprayed water on it.