Firefighters from around California gather in Modesto for training

Dozens of firefighters from agencies throughout California visited Modesto this week for training.

The two-day training took place Thursday and Friday, with the first day devoted to lectures, according to Modesto Fire Department spokeswoman Jessica Smart. On Friday, the firefighters put what they had learned to use with practical exercises at the Regional Fire Training Center off Carpenter Road in west Modesto.

Firefighters regularly train in different areas to hone skills and learn techniques.

For this year’s event, Smart said, they focused on residential and attached-garage fires. These can be particularly dangerous; two Modesto firefighters suffered serious injuries when a roof caved in during a fire at a home on Coston Avenue on New Year’s Day of 2010.

An independent panel later concluded the Modesto Fire Department acted appropriately in attacking that fire.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Firefighters from around California gather in Modesto for training."