NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Warm Fire in Northern Arizona

The Warm Fire in northern Arizona was churning out a huge cloud of smoke on June 26, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite passed overhead and collected this image just before 1:00 p.m local time. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fire are marked in red. Smoke spreads southward over the Grand Canyon. According to the June 27 report from the National Interagency Fire Center, the Warm Fire had grown to more than 58,000 acres, and it had forced officials to close down the main highway that runs southward to the Grand Canyon. Credit: NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center

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Brins Fire Near Sedona, Arizona

Northeast of Sedona, Arizona, the Brins Fire continued to threaten parts of Oak Creek Canyon on June 23, 2006. This image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite shows the Brins Fire and the town of Sedona. The image doesn’t appear exactly like a digital photo because it uses ASTER’s observations of shortwave and near-infrared light to make the burned area stand out from the unburned vegetation. Vegetation appears red, the burn scar appears charcoal, and bare ground or thinly vegetated ground appears tan or yellow. Route 89, sections of which have been closed by the fire, runs in a gray ribbon through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. The haze in the scene may be a mixture of smoke and thin clouds.

According to reports from the National Interagency Fire Center on June 26, the Brins Fire was threatening residences, commercial structures, endangered species habitat, and the Oak Creek watershed and Scenic Highway. On that date, the agency estimated the fire was 4,222 acres and about 50 percent contained. Credit: NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.

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Arizona Warm Fire

Image to left: North of the Grand Canyon in the Kaibab National Forest, the Warm Fire continued to burn on June 22, 2006. This pair of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite includes a photo-like image (top) and an infrared-enhanced image (bottom) that highlights the burn scar the fire is creating.

According to reports from the National Interagency Fire Center on June 23, the Warm Fire was burning three miles south of the Jacob Lake tourist destination, and was threatening campgrounds, lake development, and historical sites. The fire was estimated to have burned 12,273 acres. + High resolution image


















The Warm Fire in northern Arizona continued to burn in the Kaibab National Forest on June 21, 2006. This image (to right) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite shows a red outlined where MODIS detected actively burning fire. A plume of smoke drifts northeast toward Lake Powell.

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According to the National Interagency Fire Center, this fire is a “Wildland Fire Use” fire. Wildland Fire Use fires are naturally ignited fires that land managers may allow to burn in a certain area according to pre-determined strategies for improving natural resources. Nevertheless, fire managers are carefully watching the Warm Fire because of the possibility for rapid growth due to extremely dry conditions in the area. The fire was estimated to be about 7,000 acres as of June 22.




Bear Fire in Western New Mexico

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A large wildfire was burning in western New Mexico’s Gila National Forest in June 2006. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite shows the Bear Fire on June 20. Locations where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. (An image from June 21 shows the fire partially hidden by clouds.) According to the National Interagency Fire Center report from June 22, the Bear Fire was threatening numerous residences and cabins as well as wildlife habitat. The fire was burning through extremely dry, continuous stands of timber, and had grown to more than 33,000 acres as of June 22.

Credit: NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center

Holli Riebeek
Goddard Space Flight Center