Toronto residents in the city’s west-end may have smelled smoke Thursday as officials carried out a prescribed burn of High Park.

The “deliberately set and carefully controlled” fire took place between 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Prior to the event, an opening ceremony and smudge was held, led by Indigenous Elders Vivian Recollet and Henry Pitawanakwat. Drumming and dancing took place throughout the day as each site was ignited.

There were a total of five sites burned at High Park on Thursday. The park was temporarily closed to vehicles until early evening and some trails were restricted to users.

Photos from the scene showed heavy smoke encompassing trees and vegetation as officials monitored the flames.

In some moments, the trees were hardly visible under a thick wall of smoke.

The prescribed burn in High Park holds the name of Biinaakzigewok Anishnaabeg, which means “the responsibility for a cleansing fire by all Native Peoples” in the Anishinaabemowin language.

Burns like these are considered ecosystem management tools and are part of the city’s long-term plan to restore and protect rare Black Oak woodlands and savannahs in Toronto’s High Park, South Humber Park and Lambton Park.

Ray Vendrig, manager of Urban Forestry with the city, told CTV News Toronto the flames leave behind a trail of scorched earth so that vegetation can come back stronger and healthier.

“It creates those conditions for those plants to germinate and grow,” he said.

At High Park specifically, the burn helps support the 29-hectare fire-dependent Black Oak savannah habitat, which contain rare and diverse flora and fauna. According to the city, 23 of the park’s rare plans are associated with the oak woodland and savannah habitats.

In addition to helping the plants grow, the burn will also get rid of invasive species.

It should be noted that all fires are set low to the ground to consume dried leaves, small twigs, and grass stems. Larger trees are not harmed. They are led and controlled by a fire boss and trained crew members.

The city said that in ideal conditions, smoke from the burn will rise and dissipate; however weather changes may cause it to drift and impact nearby residential areas.

The City of Toronto has safely executed prescribed burns in High Park for almost 20 years.