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Fires in Southern California Rage On
Terra Satellite captured this image October 28, 2003
Credit: NASA
(High resolution version with fire pixels -22.4 MB)
(High resolution version with no fire pixels -22.4 MB)
Click here for a zoom in movie of fires
Southwestern California on fire
Credit: NASA
TV res/High res
Thick smoke blankets the Southern California coastline as multiple brush and forest fires continue to burn near Los Angeles and San Diego. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on the Terra satellite detected three major clusters of fires, marked with red boxes, on October 28, 2003.
Los Angeles area fires
Credit: NASA
TV res/High res
The MODIS instrument is peers through smoke and capture thermal signatures of active fires, (shown in red below). These images are a regular part of the National Interagency Fire Center's firefighting toolkit. The images help the center track fires all over the United States on a daily basis and are used in allocating precious firefighting resources.
At top left are the Piru, Simi Incident, and Verdale Fires. Firefighters have nearly contained the Verdale Fire, but strong winds, intense flames, and rough terrain have made it difficult to check the Piru and Simi Incident Fires. To the southeast, a new fire, the Padua Fire, can be seen.
The next cluster of fires, burning in the San Bernardino Mountains, is a combination of the Old, Grand Prix, and Mountain Fires. While the Grand Prix and the Mountain Fires are partially contained, winds continue to fuel the Old Fire.
San Bernadino area fires
Credit: NASA
TV res/High res
San Diego area fires
Credit: NASA
TV res/ High Res
Finally, the Paradise (north) and Cedar (south) Fires continue to threaten the San Diego area in the south. The Otay Fire that was visible at the California-Mexico border in previous days’ images is nearly under control, but the Cedar and Paradise fires continue to burn almost entirely unchecked. Media reports have attributed 17 deaths and the destruction of at least 1,137 homes to the fires.
The MODIS image below shows the smoke plumes rising from the fires. Click the link below the image to see the active fires shown in red or just the smoke plumes.
See Active Fires | See Smoke Plumes
(Active Fires: TV Res. / High Res.) | (Smoke Plumes: TV Res. / High Res.)
Credit: NASA
Images courtesy: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team
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