The controlled burn affected up to 50 acres of undergrowth that lightning could set aflame.
By Gordon Jackson
Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)
Copyright 2007 The Florida Times-Union
ST. MARYS, Fla. — Fire engines were on standby Thursday as a steady breeze pushed flames as high as 20 feet toward a firebreak plowed into the ground in a heavily wooded area at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.
The blaze was expected to burn as many as 50 acres of land at the submarine base as crews stood by in case the flames jumped the firebreak. But there was no attempt to put out the fire, which Navy officials said was one of a series of intentional prescribed - or controlled - burns planned on base each year to reduce the risk of wildfires.
Controlled fires burn highly flammable undergrowth that if left unchecked could result in a wildfire sparked by lightning during the summer thunderstorm season.
Bob Tanner, a burn planner from Fort Stewart, ignited the fire at Kings Bay while walking along a dirt road in the wooded area. He used a drip torch filled with a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel to drop a steady stream of flaming liquid, igniting the dry underbrush of grasses, palmetto and gallberry bushes and wax myrtles. The flames from a controlled burn don’t get high or hot enough to damage the dormant pines and hardwoods in the woods, he said.
The winter, when the humidity is low and the trees are dormant, is among the safest times to set the fires, if weather conditions are favorable.
Wind speed and direction, ground moisture and activities on base are factors that must be considered before conducting a controlled burn, base officials said.
Some controlled burns are conducted in the summer, if conditions are favorable, Tanner said.
Paul Schoenfeld, Kings Bay’s natural resources manager, said local public-safety officials are contacted before a controlled burn on base so they don’t overreact if area residents call to report the smoke.
“Most people are aware of what’s going on,” he said. “It really pays off to let people know what’s going on.”
The challenge at Kings Bay, Tanner said, is the unpredictable shifts of coastal wind. Base officials try to ensure the flames don’t spread outside the area intended for burning and that the smoke doesn’t drift over populated areas.
Like other federal land, such as national parks, forests and wildlife refuges, Kings Bay is required by law to manage its land in a way that will protect wildlife, Schoenfeld said.
The wetlands and forests on base are considered part of a fire-dependent ecosystem, he said. Wildfires help improve wildlife habitat, control competing vegetation, and allow wiregrass native to the region thrive, he said.
Controlled burns also play another important role, Schoenfeld said.
“If a wildfire did get out of control, it could threaten the base infrastructure, he said.
Base officials said they try to conduct the burns every three to five years to reduce the risk of wildfires.
In areas close to structures, base officials are considering using mechanical equipment to reduce the undergrowth, but burning is the most cost-efficient way in areas where there are no structures, Schoenfeld said.
The burned area will be closely monitored for the next few days to ensure no hot spots flare up, Schoenfeld said.
“We’ll still be on our toes,” he said. “It’s perfectly normal to see some of these smoldering hot spots for several days.”
Ed Buczek, a base spokesman, said all commands on base are notified about the burns in advance to ensure they won’t interrupt with the Kings Bay’s mission. Everyone understands the importance of the burns, he said.
“It minimizes the impact if we do get a lightning strike,” Buczek said. “The importance of controlled burns is to make sure they are contained.”