A man-made fire, complete with large, dark smoke clouds, burning in the Gulf of Mexico might not sound like a plan that does anything great for the environment. But if it can burn up some of the oil spilled in a recent rig explosion, then it will help avoid huge environmental detriment.

A deepwater oil platform, drilling 50 miles off the coast of Lousiana, exploded and sank on April 20.  The explosion caused eleven workers to go missing, now presumed dead, and 42,000 gallons of oil a day to leak into the gulf.

The Coast Guard started a test burn today using hand-held flares to set sections of the spill on fire. Weather factors are important during controlled burns, as environmental experts point out that wind and waves pushing the crew around can make the task hard.

If the oil is successfully ignited, it leaves behind a substance similar to a hardened ball of tar when the flames go out. Then nets or skimmers can be used to remove the hardened oil from the water.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says birds and mammals will have an easier time escaping a burning area than an oil slick. Meanwhile, those on the Gulf Coast are preparing for the possibility that the oil reaches land, covering all the birds, beaches, and grasses on shore.

“Our ability to deal with this would be like us having a foot of snow falling in Biloxi tomorrow,” said Vincent Creel, a city government official from Biloxi, Mississippi. “We don’t have snow plows, and we’re not equipped to deal with this.”

Local officials in Louisiana have also suggested sending volunteers in fishing boats to spread booms that might block oil from entering inlets.