Shelly Richardson
Pickerington Ponds Manager
As the old house on a recently-acquired plot of land goes up in flames, Pickerington Ponds staff pose for a photo with dramatic backlighting.
Back row, left to right: Robin Blair, Shelly Richardson, Joey Conrad, Frankie Tipton
Front row, left to right: Luke Baugess, Jake Wilson, Ben Smith
Metro Parks acquired an 11-acre parcel of land last year as part of Pickerington Ponds Metro Park. The area included an old house that was in fairly good standing, but that Metro Parks had no use for. But we found an excellent temporary use for it. We were able to offer many training opportunities to our adjacent law and fire departments and they made excellent use of the house, before the final conflagration.
First off, the Columbus Police Department’s In-Tac team did two full days of training at the house. The In-Tac team, or in full, the Investigative Tactical team, specializes in drug raids, fast-paced warrant searches, and dangerous tactical operations. The house allowed them to break into the building and swiftly move to different rooms to arrest suspects, played by a range of criminally-inspired full-size dummies.
Madison Township Police Department also conducted four days of training at the house, and then the Madison Township Fire Department did multiple days of smoke training over a couple of months, using artificial smoke in various rooms. In December, the training moved towards a conclusion, with training on extinguishing fires. Fires were set in various rooms and then quickly extinguished by trainees under expert instruction.
And then on December 12, 2025 the final burn was conducted, and the whole building went up in flames. But unlike a true conflagration, this intense fire burned brightly in a very controlled and safety-conscious way. Nevertheless, it made for a truly dramatic scene, as the photo above demonstrates. All participating agencies were greatly appreciative to have the opportunity to utilize the Metro Parks facility for training.