One peek inside the bungalow James Bogard once owned and you can see why Oak Park has fined him for failing to maintain the property — the interior is such a wreck that it looks like professionals trashed it.

Which is exactly what happened, he said.

In fact, it was the Oak Park Fire Department that left the gaping holes in the roof and walls during a training exercise typically conducted with axes and smoke — the mess for which Bogard is now being fined by the village.

What happened to Bogard and the home in 2008 was a perfect storm of unintended consequences that flowed out of the failed housing market, a situation complicated by possible misunderstandings. It also puts a spotlight on using private homes slated for demolition to train firefighters, a practice not uncommon in Chicago-area suburbs.

Read more at the Chicago Tribune.