The Devastating Natural Disaster That Changed Wyoming Forever

By Mid-July, fire suppression efforts had started, and more than 100,000 acres had burned in small fires throughout the park. Seven major fires were responsible for most of the damage. The Shoshone fire was started by lightning on June 23 and was the largest in a series of fires near the Snake and Yellowstone River. The Red fire started on July 1st and threatened the Grant Village complex — making it the first serious fire to threaten property. The Mink Fire threatened private property and was driven into the forest where it was monitored and allowed to burn. The third largest fire, the Huck fire, began when a tree fell into a telephone pole. The Huck fire primarily burned south of the park. The Clover Mist fire was one of the hardest to fight, as it raced through the rugged Absaroka Mountains. It threatened the town of Cooke City, Montana for weeks. The Storm Creek fire raged above the park for weeks and made a sudden, drastic push towards the park in late August. The terrifying Hellroaring fire was started by an unattended campfire and threatened the Tower Junction region of the park. The smaller Fan fire was the easiest to contain, though it burned for months. The largest of all fires, the North Fork fire, famously threatened the Old Faithful complex, Norris Junction, and the Canyon area.

More than 150,000 acres were engulfed by flames in that one single day — burning more land than all other previous fires in the park's history, combined. Ground fires became crown fires, burning at more than 200 feet in the air. The wind caused flames to jump established firelines, wiping away days of effort and sending smoke as far away as Billings, Montana.

Just a few weeks later, on September 8, 1988, fire danger caused the park to close to all non-essential staff for the very first time in history. Only the cold, wet fall weather in late September, October, and November helped finally extinguish these devastating fires for good.

More than 9,000 firefighters were assigned to the park at once, and they were helped by dozens of helicopters and aircraft. More than 4,000 members of the US Military assisted the efforts as well, and a total of 25,000 firefighters assisted the efforts at some point. $120 million was spent fighting these devastating blazes, but there was only about $3 million in property damage thanks to their around-the-clock work.

At the time, Yellowstone was following up-to-date fire management practices by allowing smaller, natural fires to burn in an effort to keep the park's natural ecosystem in place. After the massive Yellowstone Fires of 1988, research was conducted that changed fire management in the park significantly. Although smaller, natural fires are still allowed to burn, they are monitored closely and suppressed if they exceed parameters regarding size, weather, and potential danger.

Of those 19, 12 were small housing units that were quick and cheap to replace. Though more than a third of the park was affected, only 67 of the park's 1,000 structures had to be rebuilt.

Many moose did flee the area, and the number has yet to rebound, more than 30 years since the inferno.

The firefighting effort concentrated on saving life and property and tried to let the natural wildfires burn under control. Every single visitor's center was evacuated at least once during the fires, and many campgrounds were heavily damaged.

The tall, dead trees tower above the fresh, new undergrowth — a stark and chilling reminder of the brutal history of Wyoming's most significant wonder.