High Park Fire, Colorado

NASA's Aqua satellite captured smoke and heat signatures from Colorado's High Park Fire at 2020 UTC (4:20 p.m. EDT) on June 19, 2012.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard Aqua has infrared capabilities that can detect heat. In the MODIS images, fires, or hot spots are color coded as red areas in imagery and smoke appears in light brown. Images are generated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Colorado's High Park Fire has now burned 68,200 acres and has destroyed 189 homes. The fire is 55 percent contained as of June 21, 2012. The fire is located in the Roosevelt National Forest, about 15 miles west of Fort Collins, Colo. and was started by a lightning strike.

For the larger, unlabeled fire image, visit: http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=Colorado.A2012171.2020.250m.jpg

Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team
Caption: Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center