Fighting Fire with Fire: How Setting Fires Can Be the Best Way to Stop Forest Fires

When a forest fire breaks out, the typical response is to drop water from airplanes to extinguish it. However, there's a new technique where firefighters are using fire itself to combat forest fires. This might sound counterintuitive, so how exactly do they put out a fire with fire?

Here's how it works: If the fire is confined to a small area, water is often enough to control it. But when it spreads across a vast expanse of forest, water alone may not suffice. In such cases, firefighters strategically set controlled fires ahead of the advancing blaze. These controlled burns consume the available fuel, leaving nothing for the main fire to feed on when it arrives. As a result, the larger fire loses momentum and gradually burns out.

Here is the image depicting a forest fire being controlled through the use of controlled burns

Fighting fire with fire might sound contradictory, but in the context of forest management, it’s a proven method for preventing large-scale wildfires. This technique, known as a controlled or prescribed burn, involves deliberately setting small, manageable fires under specific conditions to reduce the amount of combustible vegetation, or fuel, that can feed a wildfire.

Wildfires thrive on dry, dense underbrush and dead trees. When these fuels accumulate over time, they create the perfect conditions for a wildfire to spread rapidly and uncontrollably. Controlled burns, however, reduce this fuel load by clearing out the underbrush and debris in a controlled manner. By doing so, they create natural firebreaks—areas devoid of flammable material—that can slow or stop the progress of a wildfire, giving firefighters a better chance to contain it.

The process of a controlled burn is carefully planned and executed by trained professionals. They take into account weather conditions, wind patterns, and the moisture content of the vegetation to ensure that the fire remains controlled and does not pose a risk to surrounding areas. These burns are usually conducted during the cooler, wetter months when the risk of the fire spreading is minimal.

Beyond reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires, controlled burns also have ecological benefits. They help to maintain the health of fire-adapted ecosystems by clearing out invasive species, promoting the growth of native plants, and enhancing wildlife habitats.