Backburns

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of preparing a controlled fire behind a wildfire to eliminate fuel
2. A technique used in firefighting to create a barrier against advancing flames
3. Strategic burning to prevent the spread of fire by removing combustible material in an area

Etymology: Backburns is simply the plural of "backburn," a noun that also serves as a verb, and the pair is formed from two ordinary English words: "back" and "burn." In firefighting, a backburn is a fire deliberately lit close to the edge of a wildfire, on the side the fire is not yet reaching, so that it burns out the fuel ahead of the main blaze. When the approaching front arrives, there is nothing left to catch, and the advancing flames are cut off. The name describes the method in plain terms: the fire is set going backwards, back toward the oncoming wildfire, rather than from the front.

Synonyms: controlled burns, firebreaks, prescribed burns, fire lines, clearing fires