LEHMAN TOWNSHIP -- What looked like a brush fire Thursday in Pike County, was actually all under control.
Specialists from Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area set more than a dozen acres on fire in the Bushkill area. This is done to create open space for animals that live in the forest.
It's the perfect day for a fire, according to fire officials in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. So, they burned about 15 to 20 acres of land, all to help the environment.
"We call it a prescribed burn, other people call it controlled burns, this is the second time we've burned this particular spot," said Fire Management Officer Bill Lively.
Fire officials here burn more than 750 acres of grasses, shrubs, and woodlands every year, helping to enhance the environment for animals, cut down on brush, and prevent wildfires.
And this year firefighters are actually running behind.
"We can't burn much when there's snow on the ground. We're about two weeks behind where we've been the last two years or so," said Lively.
This fire isn't just good for the environment, it's also good for all of the firefighters helping out with this prescribed burn.
"Anytime you can observe fire and watch what's going on you can learn a lot from it," said Greg Reese of Nockamixon State Park.
As the fire spreads through the bushes, grass, and trees, these firefighters are watching how the fire behaves.
Mikhael Brown works for a national park in New York state and says this is preparing him to fight some of the big wildfires across the country.
"It actually teaches me not just fighting fires, but actually knowing the surroundings and actually learning the environment," said Mikhael Brown of Gateway National Park.
In total 15 to 20 acres were burned at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and you can expect more burns in the weeks to come
These fire officials say they also have to wait for weather conditions to be just right and Thursday's low winds, mild temperatures, and humidity were just right.