its not the same though is it - controlled burns are done when the conditions are right for the effect you want to achieve, not at the height of a heat wave when it will escalate into a fullblown runaway wildfire. thats why you need accelerants and extra fuel for controlled burn, because the conditions wont allow fires without them. and they are only really needed near urban areas and where agriculture has reduced the size of bush or forests so much that they cant recover on their own.
most ecologies in the wildfire zones have adapted to deal with wildfires in one way or another, many depend on them. it may not look pretty to us for a few decades but its usually a normal and healthy part of the cycle. most wildfires happen without us even noticing and always have but the ecologies in those areas keep on truckin as healthy as ever.
edit: I've seen one small wildfire from start to finish, it was very cool to witness. was watching a nightime storm and then a coupla lightning bolts hit the top of a mountain about 10miles away and a big patch of trees just went up like in Rollerblade. you could see the front moving out from the centre fast, then slowing. watched it burn for a coupla hours and went to bed. it was still going in the morning and was smoldering by that evening. must have torched 20-50sqm of the mountain side before it stopped. all the other tourists were going crazy about putting it out, the locals just shrugged
