The deaths of two firefighters in a Southampton tower block blaze has been the catalyst for a scheme that gives firefighters the chance to test their life-saving skills.

A fire raging in a detached house in the middle of a quiet Hampshire estate, creating temperatures of up to 300C, was one such rare opportunity.

Yesterday a team of Hampshire firefighters made the most of it at a derelict house in Park Gate, which is due to be demolished soon.

As smoke billowed into the air and the heat cracked the windows, firefighters worked on a range of training exercises at the site, which was offered up by a demolition company.

An ongoing scheme with Wessex Demolition and Salvage could see firefighters get training in up to 150 soon-to-be-demolished buildings a year.

Firefighters said the tragic deaths of Alan Bannon and Jim Shears in a blaze at Shirley Towers in April 2010, and the subsequent recommendations made by the coroner at the following inquest, was the impetus behind the project.

Crews are spending the week at the property in Edenbridge Way, firefighting but also observing fire behaviour, particularly in its early stages, which they would not normally be at the scene to see.

They have performed rescues, looked at ventilation tactics, created potential flashover scenarios – when the heat in a room makes the flammable gases in the air ignite – and created conditions firefighters should look for in a backdraft – when a room rich in fuel is supplied with oxygen, causing an explosion.

Crews are primarily from Hightown in Southampton, Fareham and Cosham.

Jonathan Oliver, a retained firefighter at Portchester, who works at Wessex Demolition and Salvage, based in Curdridge, came up with the idea with the Shirley Towers incident in mind and approached his managers.

This is the first building to be tried.

Hampshire firefighters do practical training at headquarters every two years, but Jonathan said this could feel “rehearsed” whereas this would “offer different scenarios”.

Fareham station manager Paul Coates, leading the project, said the new scheme would allow firefighters to enhance their skills in a realistic setting.

The scheme comes after jurors at an inquest last year said that “numerous factors” had contributed to the deaths of Alan, 38, and James, 35, who were part of St Mary’s Red Watch crew.

They recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

Following the inquest, city coroner Keith Wiseman said there should be a review of the training given to all fire crews.

Mr Oliver added: “It’s [their deaths] in the backs of everyone’s mind especially as a firefighter – we want to go in there as well-equipped as we can and as well-trained as we can be.”