MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Where there was smoke there was, well, fun, dozens of children, fire engine sirens, hundreds of balloons and, lest we forget, Smokey Bear, on Saturday as the South Lake Fire station held its first-ever open house.

All of this was attendant with a fundraiser for Relay For Life, a national event for cancer survivors.

It was the first in what the Middletown station plans to make an annual event.

“We’re going to get out there in front of everybody,” said one of the 33 firefighters who comprise the Middletown force.

All of the proceeds from the sale of food and refreshments, a $1 charge for a ride on the fire engines and donations will go to Relay for Life which will be held early next month.

The children got a demonstration in hands-on CPR and a “low in the smoke” interactive exercise in which the youngsters crawled under smoke in order to experience what firefighters have to go through during a fire.

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