 1988 was a big year for wildfires in the western United States, with more than 72,000 fires reported during the year, including 300 rated as major.Firefighting employees and equipment were stretched to the limit, and consequently, more than 6,000 U.S. Military personnel assisted in the fire fighting efforts nationwide, with more than 600 assigned to Yellowstone.At the height of the fires, more than 9,000 firefighters and support personnel were assigned to Yellowstone at one time, and by the time the fires finally went out, more than 25,000 had been involved in the fire suppression efforts.