A Purifying Fire Story

Story title: A Purifying Fire

Violent winds drove a devastating fire through Yellowstone National Park a few years back. Hot, dry weather mocked heroic fire fighters who battled day and night trying to save lives, buildings, and precious landscapes. In spite of their efforts, this monster fire scorched thousands of acres. When the smoke cleared, blackened and starkly bare hills had replaced the beautifully forested wilderness.

   A few months after the fire, a national park forest ranger escorting a group of tourists through the park shocked them by saying, "Apart from the structures burned and the lives that were endangered, this fire was the very best thing could have happened to this park."
   He explained the need for the choking underbrush to be totally cleared out."Then from the ashes, "he continued, "come wonderful nutrients for the soil. New life is now allowed to spring forth. The future of Yellowstone forest land depends upon purifying fires every 50 years or so. What we viewed as tragedy was nature's way of preserving and protecting the future You won't believe how beautiful this park will be in about 10 years."