On the Firing Line

Firefighters don’t just douse fires these days. Sometimes they set them, too. It’s called controlled burning, a way of building a “wall” in the brush by burning away vegetation. That helps keep fires from spreading out of control by robbing them of fuel. Last week, Los Angeles County firefighters completed a seven-year project to burn 3,000 acres in San Francisquito Canyon above Santa Clarita. If all goes well, the June 17 controlled burn should help keep brush fires from spreading from this canyon into Santa Clarita and environs for up to 20 years. The crew of 120 included inmates from state and county jails. One spot fire set by the crews consumed 32 acres, but that was all part of the larger plan, said county Fire Battalion Chief Donald A. Pierpont. Setting fires intentionally came into vogue about 1980, Pierpont said. At that time, environmentalists pointed out that firefighters’ efficiency in putting out small fires was causing more harm than good. That’s because fire is nature’s way of periodically cutting back brush, and trimming trees and grass. Interfering by extinguishing small fires just sets the stage for huge, damaging fires later. The 1988 blaze in Yellowstone National Park was one such tragedy. “We’re attempting to mimic the environmental process,” Pierpont said. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”