From Freepedia
A
firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that is expected to slow or stop the progress of a
wildfire. A firebreak may be a road – from a
jeep trail to a
freeway – or a path of removed vegetation along a ridge that is intended for no other purpose. Forested areas are often riddled with networks of firebreaks. For firebreaks to be effective they have to be backed up with other firefighting efforts. Even then it is sometimes not enough. During the worst of the fire season in southern
California,
Santa Ana winds will blow carpets of burning embers across eight-lane freeways without a pause. During the 1988 fires in
Yellowstone National Park, smoking embers managed to cross the Lewis Canyon, a natural canyon up to a mile wide and 600 feet (180 m) deep.
