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Is A Controlled Burn On A Hot Day Dangerous?

By
Jeff Hess
@ August 7, 2008 3:57 AM
Permalink | Comments (0)
With the summer heat in full swing, should we be doing controlled burns?

The Guana River State Park is planning a controlled burn today even with temperatures expected to reach the mid-90's.

Park Stewardship Coordinator Forest Penny says the heat actually helps them burn the area more quickly and safely.

"Get the fuel died out to where it burns effectively. If it doesn't burn completely, you end up getting more smoke production lingering over night. So you want it burn pretty rapidly as fast as possible," Penny said.

He says they will use burn techniques that take advantage of the heat.

"There are types of burns you can do, techniques you can use to reduce the amount of radiant heat exposed to the highway and the homes across the street. And that is what we'll apply," Penny said.

They are planning to burn an area of about 60-acres. He says they have mowed the area down area to help it dry out. They have also set up several fire breaks to keep the fire from getting out of control.

Their biggest concern is the safety of the firefights monitoring and controlling the blaze. They will have a crew that is larger than normal to allow the firefighters to rotate and take frequent breaks. They will also have lots of water to keep the firefighters from dehydrating.



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