Wildfires: Put them out or let them rage? Living with fire: Stop the wildfire. Or let it burn. It's a debate that vaulted into public consciousness at Yellowstone. And although the 1988 fires showed the world the natural value of fire, the debate rages on. Fire historian Stephen J. Pyne says we're still stuck on Smokey Bear and the question, "Does fire belong?" "That's easy - of course it belongs," he says. "The issue is how do we do it? How do you put the fire back in? We're still struggling with that." Meanwhile, the need for answers has become more urgent since Yellowstone. The size of wildfires has grown exponentially. More forest and range are susceptible to fire. More lives and more property are at risk than ever before as more people live and play in the West's wildlands. Firefighting costs have ballooned. Yet Americans still don't know how to live with fire....