The Fire that was Allowed to Burn Essays

The Fire that was Allowed to Burn Essays The Fire that was Allowed to Burn Essay The Fire that was Allowed to Burn Essay Fourteen years ago fire rolled through a beautiful part of this country, filled with marvelous creations such as geysers and hot springs.Trees, blooming wild flowers, abundant grasses, natural landscapes, and sinuous waters lavishly filled the countryside.Almost everything was destroyed that was in the fires sight.398 blameless animals died.Many controversies aroused from the occurrence of this fire at Yellowstone National Park in 1988. These fires were allowed to burn by the Natural Burn Policy which was put into effect in 1972.The National Park Service officially recognized that fire was essential for the maintenance of an ecosystem (Ruhf).When a fire is started, the trees burn down and die.They then fall and create open areas for sunlight to reach new growth and sprout seedlings.This creates a healthier forest and helps maintain an ecosystem.All naturally caused fires, such as those started by lightning, would be allowed to burn without suppression. The fires started on June 2 2, 1988.Originally, they did not pose a threat.Ignited by lightning, they didnt threaten lives, property, or natural features.Eventually, almost the entire park was in flames.The fires, including the Storm Creek fire, the Hellroaring fire, and the North Fork fire then started to burn uncontrollably (Ruhf).By July 22, the National Park Service decided it was time to battle all of these fires.Over a course of about 3 months a total of 25,000 firefighters, including Army and Marine troops, tried to control this blaze.9,500 firefighters fought the fires at one time (Barker). The worst of the fires began on Saturday, August 20, 1988.This day is now historically named Black Saturday (Ruhf).Winds soared between 30-40 MPH with gusts reaching up to 70 MPH (Ruhf).The winds caused the fires to reach up to 200 feet high.Eventually the fires produced their own wind.On Black Saturday an