Dirty Burn - Wildfire Oil Painting by Melanie Thompson

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In wildland firefighting, if a burn is dirty it means that the area isn't completely burned. Why is this important? When a crew is working to contain the fire by digging a line around it, the burned area (or the black) can be a safety zone if the fire goes crazy, since burned fuel can't be re-burned. Hence the often repeated wildland firefighting phrase "Keep one foot in the black." However, if the black isn't completely burned it can't be trusted as a safety zone, because of the possibility of the fire burning through that spot again.