The Pioneer Fire in Idaho has grown to 181,574 acres and is 56% contained with the containment area being mostly in the southern part of the fire. Most of the suppression is being focused on the northwest side of the fire, east of Deadwood reservoir where the fire appears to be headed. Suppression activities, including controlled burning in areas to remove fuel where possible without unacceptable risk to firefighter safety are being conducted. Where direct engagement is not possible, containment lines are being constructed.
Containment strategies depend heavily on weather. The current period of cool, wet weather is predicted to come to an end by this weekend. Weather forecasts anticipate sunny days, no precipitation, and relative humidity dropping into the teens. All of these weather patterns signal increased fire behavior. Over the several days, continued burning in the fire’s interior will continue to create smoke that will impact surrounding areas.
NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite collected this natural-color image using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument on September 07, 2016. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Lynn Jenner with information from Inciweb.
Suomi NPP is managed by NASA and NOAA.