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  1988 Fires
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A older style of truck has a fire hose wrapped on a spindle and is parked on the pavement in front of a mountainous and forested landscape.This old fire truck was pressed into use during the 1988 fires. Fire management policy, like the equipment, has been updated many times since that fiery year. NPS

The Yellowstone fires of 1988 have been described as being instrumental in the public’s understanding of the role of fire in ecosystems. In June of 1988, park managers and fire behavior specialists allowed 18 lightning-caused fires to burn after evaluating them, according to the fire management plan. Eleven of these fires burned themselves out, behaving as many fires had in previous years. The spring of 1988 was wet until June, after which hardly any rain fell. Park managers and fire behavior specialists expected that July would be wet, as it had been historically.
Rains did not come in July as expected. Because of the extremely dry conditions, no new natural fires were allowed to burn after July 15 except those started adjacent to existing fires that were clearly going to burn into existing fires. Even so, within a week the fire acreage in the park doubled to about 17,000 acres. After July 21, all fires—including those started naturally—were fully suppressed as staffing would allow. (Human-caused fires had been suppressed from the beginning.)

Significant Events During the 1988 Fires
**June 14:** Storm Creek Fire begins.
**June 23:** Shoshone Fire begins.
**June 25:** Fan Fire begins.
**June 30:** Red Fire begins.
**July 5:** Lava Fire begins.
**July 11:** Mink and Clover fires begin.
**July 14:** On a backcountry fishing trip near the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park, Vice President George H.W. Bush must leave early when fire comes close to camp.
**July 21:** Yellowstone National Park begins suppressing all fires.
**July 22:** North Fork Fire begins.
**July 25:** Fire camp crew jumps into West Thumb Bay to escape flames.
**August 20:** "Black Saturday," fires double to more than 480,000 acres.
**September 3:** Storm Creek Fire burns over Silver Tip Ranch, north of Yellowstone National Park; the historic ranch survives.
**September 7:** Fire storm blasts Old Faithful area; Old Faithful Inn is saved and no one is injured.
**September 10:** Residents of Mammoth Hot Springs evacuate as fire moves across Bunsen Peak toward the area.
**September 11:** Rain and snow fall.

An airplane surrounded by smoke drops dusty material as it flies over a forestMore than $120 million was spent fighting the fires in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Rain and snow in September finally stopped the advance of the fires. NPSFighting the Fires
An extensive interagency fire suppression effort was initiated in mid-July in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in an attempt to control or contain this unprecedented series of wildfires. The extreme weather conditions and heavy, dry fuel accumulations presented even the most skilled professional firefighters with conditions rarely observed.
Fire fighting efforts were directed at controlling the flanks of fires and protecting lives and property in their paths. The fire experts on site generally agreed that only rain or snow could stop the fires. They were right: one-quarter inch of snow on September 11 stopped the advance of the fires.

1988 Fires in Yellowstone
**Numbers in Yellowstone**
9 fires caused by humans.
42 fires caused by lightning.
36% (793,880 acres) of the park was affected.
Fires which began outside of the park burned 63% or approximately 500,000 acres of the total acreage.
About 300 large mammals perished as a direct result of the fires: 246 elk, 9 bison, 4 mule deer, 2 moose.
$120 million spent fighting the fires.
Total of 10,000 people involved in these efforts.**Management Issues**
Until July 15, park managers followed the policy to let naturally caused fires burn.
Beginning July 15, park managers suspended the natural fire policy and began suppressing new natural fires.
After July 21, park managers began fighting all fires, including natural fires that had been allowed to burn.
The 1988 fires comprised the largest fire fighting effort in the United States at that time.
Effort saved human life and property, but had little impact on the fires themselves.
Rain and snow in September finally stopped the advance of the fires.

Frequently Asked Questions
How much of the park burned in 1988?
The 1988 fires affected approximately 800,000 acres (or ~36%) of the park. Five fires burned into the park that year from adjacent public lands, including the largest, the North Fork Fire. It started accidentally and burned more than 410,000 acres.
How were weather conditions different than in previous years?
Yellowstone usually experiences afternoon showers three or four days each week during the summer, but in 1988 no measurable rain fell for almost three months. The most severe drought in the park’s recorded history occurred that summer. Also, a large number of lightning strikes came with a series of dry storm fronts. This lightning started many of the fires and storm fronts stoked them with particularly high and sustained winds.
Could the fires have been put out?
It is possible the few fires that started in early June might have been extinguished. However, between 1972 and 1987, the average fire had gone out naturally after burning only one acre. So, while the early fires were monitored closely and some were contained from going out of the park, the history of fire behavior in Yellowstone, coupled with an abnormally wet spring, suggested these fires would go out as previous fires had. After July 15, all fires were fought aggressively from the moment they were detected. Despite the largest fire fighting effort at that time in the history of the nation, weather finally contained the fires when snow fell in September.
Did Yellowstone’s fire management policy change after the fires of 1988?
After the fires of 1988, a national policy review team examined the national fire policy again, and concluded that natural fire policies in national parks and wilderness areas were basically sound. It also recommended improvements that were incorporated into the National Park Service’s fire policy of June 1990 and into Yellowstone National Park’s fire management plan of 1992.

The 1988 fires presented an unprecedented opportunity to study the landscape-scale ecological effects of an infrequent natural disturbance—a large, severe fire in this case—in an ecological system minimally affected by humans.
—Monica Turner, 9th Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, “The ‘88 Fires: Yellowstone and Beyond”

Map of Yellowstone National Park boundary, major roads and lakes, and large areas of named firesThis map of fires from 1988 uses colors only to help you see fire boundaries. Colors do not indicate anything else. NPSPost-fire Response and Ecological Consequences
By late September, as the fires were diminishing, plans were already underway in Yellowstone to develop comprehensive programs for all aspects of post-fire response. Scientists wanted to monitor the ecological processes following these major fires. The National Park Service cooperated with other agencies and independent researchers and institutions in developing comprehensive research directions for this unparalleled scientific opportunity. Observations actually began while the fires were still burning.
Burning at a variety of intensities, the fires killed many lodgepole pines and other trees but did not kill most other plants; they merely burned the tops, leaving roots to regenerate. Temperatures high enough to kill deep roots occurred in less than 0.1% of the park. Only under logs and in deep litter accumulations, where the fire was able to burn for several hours, did lethal heat penetrate more deeply into the soil. Where water was available, new plant growth began within a few days. In dry soils, the rhizomes, bulbs, seeds, and other reproductive tissues had to wait until soil moisture was replenished the following spring.
Though animal movements were sometimes affected dramatically by the passage of fires, relatively few animals died. However, portions of the northern range burned, which affected winter survival of grazing animals when coupled with summer drought conditions. In this and many other ways, fires dramatically altered the habitat and food production of Yellowstone for the short term.
The fires of 1988 created a landscape of burns, partial burns, and unburned areas—called a mosaic. A mosaic provides natural firebreaks and sustains a greater variety of plant and animal species. Vegetation capable of sustaining another major fire will be rare for decades, except in extraordinary situations.

Photo Point Along Road Between Canyon and Norris Junctions
Fire-burned forest right after the 1988 fires.Fire-burned forest right after the 1988 fires.
Left image

Fire-burned forest right after the 1988 fires.
Credit: NPS/Jim Peaco
Right image

Regrowth and pond in the same location in 1989.
Credit: NPS/Jim Peaco
Yellowstone National Park’s photographer established “photo points,” or specific locations to be photographed in 1988 and in subsequent years.

A burn mosaic shows a patchwork of fire scars and unburned forest.Ecological Consequences of Fire
Fire plays a vital role in a functioning ecosystem, and many plants have adapted to—or become dependent—on fire.
A wildfire crew stands closely by a large pile of burning logs.Fire Management
Balancing the benefits and threats of fire.
Aerial view of the Maple Fire, August 16, 2015Fire Ecology
Learn about fire's role in Yellowstone.
 Last updated: February 2, 2021
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