Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Fires · June–November 1988Open article references →
The Yellowstone Fires of 1988
Yellowstone National Park fire landscape · United States
Why editors use it hereReferenced overview of fires, weather, suppression, acreage, structures, policy debate, and ecology.
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Quick read
During the exceptionally dry summer of 1988, multiple lightning- and human-caused fires burned across Yellowstone National Park and surrounding forests.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
Early lightning fires remained relatively small, but July dryness and wind caused rapid spread.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Uncertainty
The often-cited 36 percent refers to park acreage within fire perimeters, not land uniformly consumed; burn severity varied greatly.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Why it matters
Yellowstone changed the public image of fire from simple enemy toward an ecological process that can still exceed management capacity.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read