As officials assessed the aftermath of the largest fire in 19 years in Everglades National Park, they saw good and bad signs.

The fire -- which was 70 percent under control yesterday -- has scorched about 40,000 acres and flooded Miami with smoke. It also filled the soil with nutrients, killed invasive plants and made it harder for hawks to prey on an endangered sparrow (Greenwire, May 15).

"Like so much here, it's not just one thing," said Rick Anderson, fire management officer for the park, who starts planned fires in addition to fighting those that are unwanted. He added, "Fire is our grizzly bear or our wolf: It has to be here."

The fire exemplifies the struggle to revive a fragile ecosystem that abuts one of the nation's most developed areas.

Many environmentalists see the fire as a sign of the shortcomings of the federal Everglades restoration plan, which has failed to replenish the dwindling water supplies.

"This is exactly the area of the park where we should be having more water this time of year," said Alan Farago, executive director of the Everglades Defense Council. "The park's on fire, Florida Bay is a disaster, and we're still fighting over getting enough water of the right quality."

But Anderson said that water alone would not have kept the Everglades from burning. With the area's wispy vegetation, dry season and high winds, "this place is built to burn," he said.

However, several scientists said the perpetually low water levels made the blaze's impact more severe (Damien Cave, New York Times, May 23). -- RB