The Sunlight Mesa RX was a prescribed fire being conducted at night on the Bighorns in 2015. Fire managers wanted to take advantage of the cooler night air and higher humidities to reduce the potential of spotting embers causing a fires outside of control lines. The target was reducing conifer encroachment in meadows where natural wildfire normally would keep them in check. The dominant tree species within the unit was sub alpine fir which has a high tendency torch and loft burning embers long distances especially when burned at the intensity needed to reduce encroachment. This shot is a long exposure of the firing operations happening around 1:00am.
