“Wow. Great Burn. This did exactly what it needed to for these guys today.” A quote from one of the National Park Service’s regional fire management specialists on Monday, April 10th, during the controlled burn of Little Round Top.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

The action got started early Monday morning with briefing meetings between law enforcement, the fire crew, and other actors on the scene (including a number of Park Watch volunteers). This is a shot from mid-afternoon after the fire had worked its way across most of the hill’s western slope.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Joining Gettysburg Daily to cover the burn were ABC-27, FOX-43, WGAL-8, a photographer from the Evening Sun, and a photographer from the Gettysburg Times. By the end of the burn, only WGAL-8 and Gettysburg Daily stuck around. WGAL stayed to make a live broadcast that evening.From left to right: WGAL-8’s camera guy, NPS Mike Litterst (National Mall), and NPS Angie Atkinson (GNMP). This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Regrettably, Gettysburg National Military Park’s usual spokesperson, Katie Lahon, was unable to be in Gettysburg yesterday. In her place was Mike Litterst, a public affairs officer at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Mike has been with the Park Service since the late 1980s and has worked at Revolutionary War and Civil War sites. We spoke with him for a few minutes just as the fire was being set.This video was taken facing northeast between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Drip torches were used to start fire north of Little Round Top along the Wheatfield Road (which is the road in the background – Crawford Avenue is in the foreground).This view was taken facing northeast between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

For a week prior to setting the fire, crews were at work with chainsaws, weed-eaters, rakes, and leaf blowers to clear out a three to six foot circle around any resources within the burn zone that they wanted to protect (primarily monuments, markers, and witness trees). You can see the grass that has been left around the 40th New York Monument.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

The first flames were set around 11:45 AM. Many small mammals and reptiles have no problem getting out of the area when a slow-moving and intentional fire like this one is set. We did hear of a black snake between the rocks near Gibbs’ Ohio Battery that startled a few of the fire crew (out of view to the left – the monument you can see in the left of frame is to the 146th New York).This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Josh Manley was one of the Fire Information Officers on yesterday’s burn. He’s also the Fire Communication and Education Specialist for the Northeast and Southeast Region for the National Park Service. Josh was one of many individuals we met during the burn that was well-versed in natural resources. We’ll forgive Josh for mentioning the 20th Maine saving Little Round Top, the United States, and so, the world, on July 2nd, but he was excited about how many firefighters from Maine they had working on the hill yesterday.This video was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

While vehicle access to the Little Round Top area was limited to individuals involved with or covering the fire, visitors were able to access Devil’s Den/Houck’s Ridge. We did see one Licensed Battlefield Guide earlier in the day, but most chose to avoid the area altogether. There was a public viewing area on Ayres Avenue and we watched with some amusement as individuals walked out to Ayres’ Second Division marker, only to be told to return to the roadway.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

It’s a very busy time for fire personnel in the National Park Service, because there are a number of prescribed fires and wildfires taking place across the country. This tree has been marked with a ribbon to show that it is believed to be a witness tree and needs protection.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

According to the National Park Service, this is the first time that Little Round Top has been subjected to a controlled burn.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

As the fire made its way across the hill a column of smoke hung in the air. One of the fire supervisors drove to the town of Gettysburg and around the battlefield to get a look at the fire’s impact on visibility and to see how the smoke column was moving. There were moderate winds as the afternoon progressed. This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

While these winds didn’t hinder the burn, they did prevent smoke from dissipating in the most ideal manner. The fire crew wants the smoke to rise to a certain height and then dissipate (if you’re curious for more information, you can look up “Mixing Height” and “Transport Wind Speed”).This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

But if you’re worried that Little Round Top will remain a blackened hill forever, never fear. Nutrients in the ash will go back into the ground, and within 3-4 weeks the fire crew expects green to return to Little Round Top. One ranger we were speaking with reminded us that it was only a few weeks after the burn on Munshower Hill before greenery returned.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Little Round Top will still be closed Tuesday, so that the fire crew can continue to monitor the burn area for any spot fires or issues. Anticipate access to the summit of Little Round Top on Wednesday. The 6th New Jersey monument is on the left, with Crawford Avenue visible below the fire.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Roads will be open today, Tuesday, but there will be no parking on the summit of the hill or along Warren/Sykes Avenue. The Michigan Sharpshooters monument is visible in the top of frame.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

With Little Round Top smoking behind him, we caught up with Mike Litterst to hear how everything went.This video was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

The anticipated burn of Pardee Field (not shown here) will not happen today, April, 11. GNMP Superintendent Ed Clark wants Little Round Top to reopen to the public as soon as possible. Mr. Clark determined that he wants the fire resources to remain at Little Round Top on Tuesday. There is a small possibility that a window will open on Wednesday, but from the conversations we had, this appears to be unlikely. The fire vehicle in this photo is on Warren Avenue.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Most of the rangers we spoke with while stationed on Houck’s Ridge mentioned that the smell and the heat of the fire are the two things you really notice when you’re up-close. The wind was moving most of the smoke north of the hill today, so we didn’t smell much from the Devil’s Den area.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

As soon as the hill reopens, anticipate visitors climbing all over Little Round Top’s western slope.This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.

The boulders and rocks revealed by burning away the vegetation is impressive, but that undergrowth prevented individuals from “taking on” the hill. We’ll wrap up our coverage of the prescribed fire later this week when Little Round Top is reopened and we can show you everything.Michigan Sharpshooters monument (left) and 140th New York (right). This view was taken facing east between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM on Monday, April 10, 2017.