Yellowstone National Park fires
Yellowstone National Park fires are a significant aspect of the park's natural ecology and management practices. In 1972, the U.S. National Park Service adopted a "natural-burn" policy, allowing lightning-ignited fires to burn without intervention unless human life or property was at risk. This policy led to the burning of over 33,000 acres from 1972 to 1987, aiding in the restoration of natural fire cycles that benefit forest growth and wildlife habitats.
The fire season of 1988 marked a dramatic turning point, as it was the driest year on record for Yellowstone, leading to a series of devastating fires that ultimately consumed 793,000 acres—approximately 36% of the park. The combination of dry conditions and strong winds resulted in catastrophic fire events, particularly on August 20, known as "Black Saturday." Despite the extensive area burned and the efforts of over 25,000 firefighters, significant historic structures and attractions largely escaped damage.
Ecologically, the fires had relatively low impacts on wildlife, and subsequent years saw rapid regeneration of the burned areas. The aftermath of the 1988 fires ignited a national conversation about fire management policies, prompting public land managers to revise regulations pertaining to natural fire occurrences. These events underscore the delicate balance between natural processes and human intervention in preserving Yellowstone's unique ecosystem.
On this Page
Yellowstone National Park fires
The Event A devastating series of fires driven by drought and high winds burns thousands of acres
Date June 22-September 11, 1988
Place Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho
Causing $120 million in damages, the Yellowstone fires were the most costly in U.S. history. Media attention from the fires and a policy allowing natural fires to burn sparked intense public debate.
In 1972, the U.S. National Park Service adopted the “natural-burn” policy allowing lightning-ignited fires to burn when there was no threat to human life or property. Between 1972 and the 1987, 235 naturally caused fires burned 33,759 acres within Yellowstone National Park. These fires were credited with reducing surplus fuel that accumulated following years of fire suppression and with restoring the natural role of fire in improving forest growth and wildlife habitat.
In a normal year, rainfall contains fires. However, in 1988 Yellowstone experienced its driest season on record, with 32 percent of normal annual precipitation. The park’s fire season began with a lightning strike on June 22 that ignited a stand of lodgepole pine. Buildups of dry fuel combined with high winds spread the flames rapidly, and by the end of July almost 99,000 acres had burned. Reacting to increased media attention, park managers elected to suppress all fires in the park. The single worst day of the 1988 fire season was August 20, called “Black Saturday,” when 40-mile-per-hour winds pushed a firestorm across 150,000 acres. Flames reached two hundred feet in the air. As a result of danger associated with the fires, many of the park’s roads and facilities were closed to visitors. On September 6, fire swept through the Old Faithful area, destroying sixteen cabins but sparing the Old Faithful Inn. The first snowfall on September 11 helped contain the fires.
Of fifty fires that burned within Yellowstone in 1988, forty-one were caused by lightning and nine by human activities. The total area burned within the park was 793,000 acres, amounting to about 36 percent of the park’s 2,221,800 acres. More than twenty-five thousand firefighters participated in efforts to save human life and property. Destruction was limited to sixty-seven structures worth more than $3 million. Remarkably, none of Yellowstone’s famous attractions or historic lodges was damaged by fire. Impacts on wildlife were also relatively low, given the magnitude of acreage burned. Field surveys revealed that the number of animals killed included 9 bison, 12 moose, 6 black bears, and 345 elk (out of an estimated elk population of 40,000). Ample precipitation during the years immediately following the fires led to rapid regeneration of trees in most burned areas.
Impact
Nearly twenty years after the 1988 fires in Yellowstone, many burned areas remained visible. The Yellowstone fires of that year created a national debate concerning the natural-burn policy. In the years immediately following the fires, public land managers across the United States revised fire management plans with strict guidelines for circumstances under which naturally occurring fires would be allowed to burn.
Bibliography
Patent, Dorothy H. Yellowstone Fires: Flames and Rebirth. New York: Holiday House, 1990.
Wallace, Linda. After the Fires: The Ecology of Change in Yellowstone National Park. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2004.