One of the somewhat unique things about Alaska is that every summer, it catches fire - literally. Even last year, which was very wet, we saw fires in some parts of the state. It is so incredibly dry here right now and there are many fires (90 last I heard) in various parts of the state.
One of the things they do to suppress these fires is create fires breaks. Fire needs 3 things - oxygen, fuel, and a source. Alaska's lush forests provide an unending source of fuel for these fires, so in a controlled fashion, smaller fires are set along a line. Say a fire is headed for a road. What they do is an intention burn close to the road before the wildfire gets there. Once it hits the burned-up area, hopefully it does not jump to the other side of the road. It no longer has a good source of fuel and therefore is "stopped in it's tracks." Here is a You Tube video about that process:
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