GAINESVILLE, TX-- Smoke billowed from a home in Gainesville, Thursday, but it was not from an actual house fire.

It was all part of a simulated fire used for hands on training by the fire department.

The home at 205 South Morris was filled with smoke from a smoke machine, but firefighters worked swiftly through several training scenarios as if it were really in flames.

Assistant Fire Chief, Wally Cox, explained, "With a house like this, this is kind of our bread and butter. We can go into it. It's realistic, in that, it is a house. It has rooms in it. It has doorways in it and things like that. It simulates a real house, because it is a real house."

Cox, said, this home is a rare find, because it was in such good shape. He said abandoned buildings are usually missing walls or are already so run down they don't offer the same types of challenges.

Thursday's crew actually worked on a modified version of the house, adding partitions near the doorway to change the layout and the training scenario.

"We built walls and things like that, to change it up a little bit," Cox, said.

Tony Dresser has been with the Gainesville fire department for more than 12 years, and says using a real house is some of the best training a firefighter can get.

"The fire academy can give you simulations and scenarios, but until you go in for the first time, you really don't know what you're getting into, until you're deep into the fire," Dresser, said.

Crews worked on communication and rescue scenarios, including what to do if a firefighter gets disoriented or lost in the building. 175 lb. dummies and actual firefighters were pulled from the home as part of practice.