Fires in Southern California

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Monday, 25 September 2006, 07:25 CDT Download full size image

A large, human-caused fire has been burning since September 4 in mixed brush and scattered timber in the Los Padres and Angeles National Forests and the Sespe Wilderness. This fire, called the "Day Fire" is located northwest of Los Angeles, both of which you can see on this MODIS Aqua image, captured on September 17, 2006.

Places where the sensor detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. Huge plumes of smoke jut westward from the fire in a curved shape over the Pacific Ocean. The smoke blankets several of the Channel Islands, leaving Santa Rosa partially visible.

The Day Fire grew explosively over the weekend of September 16, when winds picked up dramatically. The blaze grew more than 50,000 acres in one day according to an article on the LATimes.com Website. Daily images of the area provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team show a dramatic difference in the fire's size and smokiness on September 16 and 17.

According to the daily report from the National Interagency Fire Center, the rapidly spreading fire threatened homes, a watershed, campgrounds, power and gas lines, and communications equipment. As of September 18, 2006, the 60,589-acre fire was only about 15 percent contained. Evacuations and road closures were in place in the area, including the northwest part of Fillmore.

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