CARY -- The N.C. Forest Service is scheduled to set a controlled fire at the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve on Monday. If the weather permits, the forest service will burn off fallen leaves and understory debris in a two-acre area.

“... Every precaution will be taken to ensure that everyone is safe during the burn,” said Mark Johns, a town of Cary employee at the preserve. “Trails will be well-signed and patrolled by natural resource managers and preserve staff, with some trails closing down briefly during the burn.”

Forest service employees will use handheld devices that squirt flaming fuel to ignite the fire at around 10:30 a.m. Monday.

The burn is meant to eliminate dead vegetation and flammable brush that could stoke wildfires in the suburban park. Johns has promised little spectacle from the flames, which should only reach a few feet high.

“You’ll be going, ‘Wow, I’m really disappointed. Where’s the fire?’” he said last month. A town firetruck will be on hand for safety.