Local firefighters now have a new tool on which to train when it comes to putting out dangerous car fires.
According to the Dakota County Fire Chiefs Association, there are hundreds of car fires each year in Dakota County, and 17 car fires every hour nationwide.
But fire departments in Dakota County now have a new training simulator. It cost $50,000, which was provided as a gift from Flint Hills Resources, the owners of the Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount.
"Practicing putting out car fires has long been a challenge for firefighters because burning real cars is unsafe and harmful to the environment," said Eric Bergum, the assistant fire chief for the Inver Grove Heights Fire Department.