okay im not like an expert on shit but it looks like that guy is using heavy machinery to dig a hole in the middle of an open field so that the firepit is as safe as reasonably possible
Yes, looking at the pictures this is a controlled fire, the backhoe is probably filled with sand and the whole area is barricaded from the houses. It's probably dry and windy right now and the controlled fire is probably removing dried detritus to stop it from catching fire randomly and causing another fire in the nearby house.
And Chris has a problem with that.
Oh, the delicious irony.