In order to commemorate Fire Prevention Week, the St. Charles Fire Department will host an open house from noon to 3 p.m Saturday, Oct. 14, at Fire Station #1, 112 N. Riverside Ave.

The members of the Fire Department would like to encourage everyone to stop by, talk with the firefighters and take a tour of the fire station.

Several exhibitions will be held throughout the day including: fire extinguisher demonstrations, special rescue operations, vehicle extrication, SCUBA diving, a “combat challenge” for kids and a live burn/sprinkler demonstration. The purpose of the burn is to demonstrate how effective residential sprinklers can be in combating residential house fires.

There will be activities for children and refreshments will be available. Many informational displays will also be presented for department programs and general safety concerns.

SOURCE: St. Charles Fire Department news release

About Fire Prevention Week

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association website