" We burn for ecological maintenance."
-- Florida Forest Service spokesman Kawika Bailey
Amid the orange groves of Lake Wales State Park, a gaggle of firefighters shot what looked like fiery ping-pong balls down from a helicopter at 2,000 acres of Polk County wild land.
On foot, dozens more sprayed flames from handheld drip-torches, setting fire to the overgrown palmettos and underbrush in the park.
It may sound contradictory, but Florida Forest Service firefighter pilot Larry Davis said the intentional burn last week helps prevent greater damage when a natural wildfire goes aflame.
Read more at the Orlando Sentinel.