Safety comes first when fighting wildfires like the one that Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials now estimate charred more than 800 acres of the Blue Mountain on Saturday and Sunday.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported or structures damaged.In fact, when all was said and done, the fire could end up having a positive environmental impact."Although wildfires can often be harmful and destructive to us humans, naturally occurring wildfires play an important role in nature," said Franklin Klock, Carbon County Environmental Education Center naturalist."Fires return nutrients to the soil by burning dead or decaying matter. They also act as a disinfectant, removing disease-ridden plants and harmful insects from a forest ecosystem."According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, foresters at times will prescribe burns to eliminate excess debris, enhance nutrient recycling or slow the growth of shrubs and grasses that would otherwise crowd out recently planted seedlings.More than 100,000 wildfires wipe out 4 million to 5 million acres of land in the U.S. every year."By burning through thick canopies and brushy undergrowth, wildfires allow sunlight to reach the forest floor, enabling a new generation of seedlings to grow," Klock said."Many species of cellulose (wood pulp) eating insects benefit by the fire-dried and softened wood. Then, the birds and other animals, which eat those insects are drawn to the burned-out area."Many tree species have evolved to take advantage of fire, according to the Environmental Literacy Council, and the occasional burn can add to overall forest health. Fires generally burn lower branches first and clear dead wood from the forest floor, which starts regeneration by providing exceptional growing conditionsSome tree species, Klock added, can't even reproduce without the intense heat of a good old-fashioned forest fire."They may sit and wait for generations for it to happen to them," he said.