For that matter, maybe they were faced with a situation where either A) they had so many dead to dispose of, fire seemed to be just what was needed or B) they only needed to finish the job after gathering the many charred bodies.
And cracks and splits, as all its saps suspire.
Grass wilts; and with their leaves the tree trunks flare;
And cornfields feed the flame that leaves them bare.
Small matters these--walled cities melt away;
Whole tribes and peoples turn to ashes gray;
The mountain masses with their forests burn: