Incident Name: Clover Mist Fire on the Shoshone National Forest (adjacent to Yellowstone National Park).
Date: October 11, 1988, 1130 hours
Personnel: Edward L. Hutton of Casper, Wyoming
Age: 26
Agency/Organization: Bureau of Land Management with USFS
Position: firefighter
Summary: Wildland firefighter Ed Hutton was killed by a falling tree on the Shoshone National Forest on October 11, 1988. With his crew, he was mopping up on the Clover Mist Fire, one of the Yellowstone fires that slopped onto the national forest. A 72 foot tree fell on him from behind. He died instantly.
Photo credit: Jim Peaco, YNP 1988
Crownfire: Clover Mist Firestorm rages across Mirror Plateau
Maps
Clover Mist Fire on the Shoshone National Forest and Yellowstone. The Clover Mist Fire started in eastern Yellowstone and moved into the Clark Fork Ranger District on the Shoshone National Forest. It threatend the communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City Montana. (from the brush slasher) Ed’s crew had cleared helicopter drop site and were waiting on the edge of the meadow when the tree fell on Hutton.
{mosmap lat=’44.7319’|lon=’-110.124’|marker=’0’|text=’Clover Mist Fire’}
Ed’s body taken to Cody, WY, east of Yellowstone NP.
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Bureau of Land Management & USFS: Accident Investigation Report and all supporting documents (8 MB pdf)
- Articles:
- From the National Park Service 6/11/07: History of Wildland Fire in Yellowstone
- The Yellowstone Timeline: 1988 (with mention of the Snake Fire and Clover Mist Fires)
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Wildlandfire.com Links:
- Hotlist: Recent additions to Always Remember, includes location of the fire
Media Articles and Reports
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- USFA Memorial Database: Edward L. Hutton
- Wyoming Fallen Firefighters Memorial: Edward L. Hutton
- 20 Years Later, Black Saturday remembered, Firefighters fought with pride, courage as 1988 Yellowstone blazes doubled in size in 1 day.8/20/2008 | Jackson Hole News & Guide
Contributors to this article: Bob Sommer, the brush slasher, Mellie
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