Fires in California
Fires in the USA
30 October 2007
Fires in Los Angeles County, Southern California
On 28 October 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Terra satellite passed overSouthern California, most of the devastating blazes that had ravaged the area inthe previous week appeared to have calmed. This image, made using visible andinfrared light, shows the extent of the fires over the landscape. Unburnedvegetation is bright green, urban areas are gray, burned areas are brick red,and areas where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. Thebright pink glow within the fire locations is often a sign of open flame in thistype of image. Both the Santiago and Poomacha Fires appeared to still be active.
TERRA
28 October 2007
The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of250 meters per pixel.
Southern California
After days of seemingly relentless Santa Ana winds, Californiafirefighters got a break. Winds died down and allowed water-bombing helicoptersand ground teams to make significant progress is controlling the week-old firesthat had scorched hundreds of thousands of acres and forced half a millionpeople to evacuate their homes.
This pair of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite on 25 October2007, shows the fires in natural color (top) and infrared-enhanced false color (bottom).The natural-color image is similar to a digital photograph, while thefalse-color image emphasizes burned areas (reddish-brown) and open flame (pinkglow). At the time of the image, winds appeared to be onshore; smoke clouds fromthe Santiago and Poomacha Fires were blowing east.
The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of250 meters per pixel.
Fires in Ramona, Southern California
By 25 October, the Witch Fire burning in San Diego County,California, had started to subside. Fierce winds that propelled the flamesacross 197,990 acres quieted, giving fire fighters a chance to battle the flames.However, the massive fire was still just 30 percent contained when NASAsAdvanced Land Imager sensor on the EO-1 satellite captured this image on 25October 2007. The image shows the fire burning around Ramona, California, northof downtown San Diego. Flames glow red, yellow, and orange in theinfrared-enhanced image, and plumes of smoke are faintly visible traces of blue.The drought-dry vegetation is deceptively green, though irrigated lawns arebrighter in tone than natural vegetation. Dark brown-red covers land charred inthe wake of the flames.
The top image shows one front of the fire in the mountains immediately eastof Ramona. The flames follow the jagged line of the ridge. The west side of themountain is burned, providing a clearer view of the rough terrain that madefighting the fire so difficult. The burn scar also makes it easier to see thecanyons that channeled the strong Santa Ana winds from inland high-altitudedeserts in the east toward the Pacific Ocean in the west. The image only showspart of the burned area. The fire extended much farther to the west.
The lower image shows sections of the fire near the western edge of Ramona.Neatly shaped lawns and silver-blue roof-tops reveal that this is a residentialarea. Interstate 15, which runs vertically through the image, was flanked by twoactively burning segments of the Witch Fire. Spots of red within the burnedlandscape point to hotspots where the fire still smolders. The San Diego Tribunereported that firefighters expected to contain the fire by 28 October. As of 26October, the Witch Fire had killed two people, injured an additional 14, anddestroyed 1,061 homes and 30 commercial properties, said the Tribune.
The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of250 meters per pixel.
(source: EarthObservatory)
See also the latest news reports from the media:
- ANALYSIS: Wildfires raise questions with no easy answers (published by www.digitaljournal.com, 30 October 2007)
- Weather is on firefighters’ side — for now (published by www.latimes.com, 30 October 2007)
- Smoke From Calif. Wildfires Causes Haze In Colorado (published by www.thedenverchannel.com, 29 October 2007)
- Forest-fire warning cut from testimony (published by www.mercurynews.com, 26 October 2007)
- Fire threat to homes diminishes (published by www.latimes.com, 26 October 2007)
- Forest thinning helps spare some homes (published by www.latimes.com, 25 October 2007)
- California bushfires recall al-Qaeda arson threat (published by news.ninemsn.com.au, 25 October 2007)
- A ‘girly-girl’ reformed: Working the wildland crew (published by seattlepi.nwsource.com, 25 October 2007)
- FEMA Chief Pleased with Wildfire Response (published by www.npr.org, 25 October 2007)
- Alberta has fire help on standby (published by www.edmontonsun.com, 25 October 2007)
- Grief smolders for colleagues of Esperanza Fire victims (published by www.pe.com, 25 October 2007)
