Last year, a UW-La Crosse student was killed in a fire at an off-campus house. Now firefighters and the university, are trying to educate students on the dangers of fires.

It can take only seconds…but those few seconds can cost you your life.

"With leap year being here you have to practice prevention 24 hours a day, everyday. A 30-second lapse can create a tragedy," says Dan Gengler with the National Fire Sprinkler Association.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and the La Crosse fire department built two mock dorm rooms to show students the danger of a residential fire.

"If we can become aware of our surroundings and potentials that are going to create problems for us, we can react to it and do whatever is necessary to prevent it from happening," Gengler says.

Demonstrations like this are used to shock students into realizing how dangerous a dorm room fire can be. Firefighters say preparation is your best defense against a total disaster.

"One of our main goals on the Fire Department is to prevent fires and by educating students from where ever they come from is going to help us fulfill that goal," commented La Crosse firefighter Jeff Brohmer.

The two structures were used to demonstrate how quickly a fire can start and spread in a dorm room.

Sam Reinke, a student at UW-La Crosse, saw the demonstration firsthand.

"You're always told to be more fire conscious and it's kind of hard to put to words how cautious you should be until you see something like this."

Last year, UW-L student Peter Talen was killed in a house fire off campus. Gengler says doing some simple things can prevent a tragedy from happening.

"The first thing they can do is surround themselves with people that understand what fires can do. That's what we hope to get them to understand today is how quickly they can generate," says Gengler.

Gengler hopes Wednesday’s demonstration helps area firefighters and area students appreciate the danger that comes with these flames.

"If we don't have fires, we don't have to worry about the life safety aspect of it. If we have fires and we don't know how to respond, we put ourselves at jeopardy."

Gengler says arson, cooking and smoking in on-campus buildings are the most common cause of fires and deaths.