On a recent weekday, short but mighty flames began consuming an expanse of tallgrass in Nachusa Grasslands, their advance marked with crackles and pops.
Satisfied with the blaze, a group of eight conservation workers split in two, walking the perimeter of a 124-acre square expanse of land. They used liquid fuel, drop by drop, to create a ring of fire and rubber tools to put out unruly sparks.
Everything was under control.
The neon orange fire charred most of what it encountered...