It takes fire to prevent fire.

The Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District announced on Monday that it will conduct prescribed burning on hundreds of acres of national forest system lands east of Coeur d'Alene, Dalton Gardens and Hayden Lake, with the aim of reducing wildfire conditions.

Ideally, burning will start in the next few days.

"It's all about weather windows," said district spokesperson Jason Kirchner. "What we're looking for is conditions allowing firefighters the most control over the fire, while also allowing the fire to fulfill its natural duty."

The ranger district plans to light up about 515 acres in the Deerfoot Resource Area just east of Hayden Lake, and 450 acres of the Blue Alder Resource Area about nine miles east of Coeur d'Alene.

It will be a broad cast burn, with a low-intensity fire creeping slowly across the forest floor, Kirchner said.

"It will be a very visible fire," he said. "We expect people in Coeur d'Alene and Hayden and maybe even as far as Post Falls will be able to see the smoke."

There are some rural homes that will be able to see the Blue Alder fire from their homes, Kirchner said. Forest Service firefighters have gone door to door to explain to homeowners what to expect.

The length of burning will depend on weather conditions, Kirchner added.

"If things are going smoothly, it might only take a couple days," he said. "If the weather's not holding up, we might have to piece it out over a longer period."

The flames are intended to reduce vegetation density to a state that is more manageable for firefighters if a wildfire occurs, Kirchner said. The burning also recycles nutrients back into the soil.

"There are a lot of benefits, including improvements to wildlife habitat, and it also helps with fire protection for local communities," he said.

Prescribed burns do produce a high volume of smoke, he said.

When burn dates are known, signs will be posted along access roads and near affected trailheads and trail junctions.

Ralph Paul, analyst with the Department of Environmental Quality, said that exposure to smoke inhalation for a couple hours a day shouldn't pose any health risks for the public.

"Short duration really shouldn't affect a normal, healthy person," he said. "If it's really thick, then it's going to affect anybody, but if it's just a light smoke it shouldn't."

Children, elderly folks and anyone with health difficulties are more sensitive to problems related to smoke inhalation, Paul added.

He suggested those demographics avoid breathing in too much.

"They could leave the area, go somewhere else for the day, or stay indoors however long the burn is going to take," he said.

The district plans to burn a larger swath of the forest lands over the next five years, Kirchner said.

About 950 acres will be burned east of Coeur d'Alene, and 1,200 acres east of Hayden Lake.

He assured that the burning will be conducted by experienced Forest Service wildland firefighters.

"The crews are full of folks with many years of experience in fighting large infernos across the West," he said. "We'll have crews on hand ready to hold the fire and fight the fire."