These guys are volunteer firefighters from the Rural Fire Service in NSW, Australia
They're setting fires in the Blue Mountains
Wait? Setting Fires?
Yep. It's called 'back-burning'
The idea is to reduce the amount of flammable material available ahead of the main fire front
It's called 'back-burning' because the controlled fires are directed back towards the bushfire
They use 'drip torches' to start the fires, then let them burn out or extinguish them before they get out of control
Back-burning is different to a 'controlled burn', which is done in cooler months to reduce fuel build-up
This crew is working around Faulconbridge, but other crews worked through the night in the Southern Highlands and the Hawkesbury
Key bushfire links
Rural Fire Service: rfs.nsw.gov.au
ABC Emergency: abc.net.au/emergency
Bureau of Meteorology: bom.gov.au
Dept of Human Services: humanservices.gov.au/disaster