Red dots placed on the image to signify fires are seen in the dozens in this image of Argentina and Uruguay taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite on June 16, 2015. Smoke is also observed drifting up and away from the fires.
Naturally occurring fires are not uncommon in the drier forests and grasslands of South America, but these fires could also certainly be a product of human activities. Some fires are intentional, set by people to clear forest, savannas, and grasslands for ranching or farming. Other fires occur accidentally from human activities. In addition, landscapes that have been disturbed by logging, fragmentation, or previous accidental fire are more prone to catch fire accidentally. In these situations, planned (or prescribed) fires (such as brush clearing fires on already cleared land) can easily get out of control and invade other areas. It is unclear which type of fires these are from the number present in the image.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner