The Kent Fire Department is hosting live fire training at what was formerly Allerton Apartments this week before the complex is demolished.

During the training, Allerton Street will be closed to traffic but will reopen in the evenings. 

The training will run through Saturday.

Fire instructors from across the country are taking part to practice tactics and procedures in the controlled burn. About 150 firefighters from Portage and Summit counties are also taking part.

Allerton Apartments, which housed married students with families and international students since the 1960s, are being torn down due to the high cost of maintaining the buildings. The announcement of the decision to shutter the complex was made in late 2010, and various buildings closed in July 2011, July 2012 and June 2015.

The final four buildings – Units A, B, C and D – are being torn down this month after residents’ leases expire.

The university is looking into turning the green space into athletic fields. Currently, there are no other on-campus family housing options available.

Contact Emily Mills at [email protected].