Firefighters fought against flames that swept across a vast swath of the East Everglades yesterday, trying to protect scrublands that are the only home to a tiny endangered bird.

The blaze that burned across as much as 10,000 acres in Everglades National Park reached two nesting grounds for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, one of the world's rarest birds.

Managers in the park let most wildfires burn out on their own because they are important to the natural growth cycle. But they try to protect the sparrow's habitat whenever possible -- especially with fires like yesterday's, which authorities believe was sparked by humans.

"Even a naturally caused fire would tend to burn hotter, have a longer duration and do more damage," said Dave Hallac, the park's chief of biological resources. "We try to do everything we can to suppress fires there."

Despite their efforts, a fire that started with around 100 acres just west of farmland had burned from 8,000 to 10,000 acres, he said.

Most of the 3,000 or so sparrows nest on marl prairies that are perpetually dry and slow to come back from fire damage. Research shows the birds abandon their nesting areas for several years after fires, according to Hallac (Chapman/Long, Miami Herald, May 15). -- RB