WBRZ - Baton Rouge

WINNFIELD - A burn in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana was a case of fighting fire with fire, while protecting wildlife.

The U.S. Forest Service ordered the burn along a two-mile stretch of road north of Winnfield to prevent wildfires and help the survival of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

Larry Kile, a Winn Catahoula District zone fire management officer says that a wildfire last year destroyed 10 homes in Natchitoches Parish.

He said such controlled burns of excess trees and bushes can help prevent such fires.

The goal this year is to burn 130,000 acres in Kisatchie. Officials say they'll use two helicopters, ground crews, bulldozers and fire engines designed for use in wild lands.