Here are a few "stories" about controlled burning that won't mean much to experienced burners but might help some get a better understanding of just what can go wrong (and believe me, I could stay up all night with anecdotes about fire).
Years ago, when the first company I worked for was in its infancy, there were only three field personnel and a secretary. The owner of the company, a forester, would go out and actually do field work occasionally, especially on a "fun" job like a burn. Our forestry technician was a wee bit lazy and wouldn't do any more than he had to. He went out with the state Forestry Commission dozer operator to show him where the firebreaks needed to be constructed. Unfortunately, our technician didn't walk the completed breaks to make sure they were in the right place, free of debris, etc. So, here we go out to burn about 200-300 acres late one evening just before dark. The boss was on the impulsive side, and he jumped out of the truck, grabbed a torch and took off along the property line, happily stringing fire. However, he came back in about thirty minutes all upset and told us to call the local forestry unit, the fire was out. It seems that the state employee got to a spot where he was unsure of the boundary and just quit plowing ! The boss chewed out the technician for not checking behind the dozer, but the tech said "hell, it didn't matter if the break ended, you were lighting the wrong side anyway". It turns out the boss took off lighting across the break on the adjoining landowner
Never take anything for granted when it comes to controlled burning.
Second story. We contracted with a helicopter company to burn about 750 acres for site prep in west GA. They were using a drip torch that contained a mix of av gas and napalm, and our job was to light the lines along the firebreaks in advance of the chopper. Our site was right next to a country music park which, unbeknownst to us, had scheduled none other than George Jones for a couple days after our burn. The smoke from 750 acres was awesome, and the boss went ballistic when he found out he might have to pay for a canceled GJ concert. A half dozen of us, along with two or three dozers, spent two days putting out burning stumps and trying to extinguish everything still smoldering. All ended well, since Jones pulled his typical stunt and didn't even show up in the first place.
Never take anything for granted when it comes to controlled burning. Do your homework.
Story three. A good friend of mine and fellow forester let a fire get out, burned some nice timber and had to get the insurance co. to ante up. It was a big payment, and my friend had his policy canceled and couldn't afford to buy another one with his "tainted" record. Then he let another fire get out burning quite a few acres of six yr. old planted pine. I just finished helping him replant the area, and it will cost him dearly for that job plus payment for six years growth. It will come out of his own pocket. Only two companies have policies that cover controlled burning, AFAIK, and he is not insurable now. It looks like I'll be helping him on every burn from now on.
Controlled burning is risky business, and you can lose everything you own in an instant, even if you're doing everything right.
