The Kestel family donated their vacant farmhouse to the New Lenox Fire Protection District. On Friday, after the final training session ended, the house was set on fire and allowed to burn to the ground.For Karen Kestel, watching the family home disappear was emotional. The house had been the centre of family life for generations, but seeing firefighters benefit from the training helped make the decision easier. Karen and Meghan travelled from outside Illinois to witness its final day.Before the building was burned, firefighters carefully searched through the house and recovered several family keepsakes. "Keating said watching the house disappear was difficult but also meaningful because it gave the family a sense of closure.