Three events between 1978 and 1988 precipitated a major fire use policy review in 1989 : the Ouzel fire in Rocky Mountain National Park , the Yellowstone fires of 1988 in and around Yellowstone National Park , and the Canyon Creek fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the Lewis and Clark National Forest . In all three cases , monitored fires burned until they threatened developed areas . While none of the Yellowstone fires of 1988 were caused by controlled burns , later investigations proved the fire use policy was appropriate , though needing strengthening and improvement
Yellowstone fires of 1988
Yellowstone fires of 1988
History of wildfire suppression in the United States