September 18, 2014 - Fires in Oregon and California (afternoon overpass)

Fires in Oregon and California (afternoon overpass)

The 2014 fire season in the western United States continues with a vengeance. Driven by hot conditions, widespread drought, low humidity, and strong winds, and ignited by dry lightning, dozens of fires have erupted across several states. Many have proven particularly stubborn to control.

On August 12, lightning struck and started the fire that grew into the Happy Camp Complex in northern California. As of September 17, 125,788 acres had been affected, with only 68% containment reported by Inciweb. The complex includes 18 fires: Falkstein, Man Fire, Frying Pan, Kemper, Delta, Jackson, Sutcliffe, Thompson, Tims, Ranch, Huckleberry, Bear, China, Mill, Luther 1, El Capitan, Luther 2, and Noranda. The total cost of fighting this fire is estimated at 80 million dollars.

The major fire seen in northern Oregon, which is accompanied by widespread smoke is the 36 Pit Fire. This fire began on September 13, and was caused by humans, but the exact cause is under investigation. The fire is located approximately eighty miles southeast of the town of Estacada, Oregon and is reportedly burning in steep, rugged terrain and is fueled by grass and timber. On September 17 the fire had consumed 3,588 acres. The 36 Pit Fire was first reported on Saturday afternoon, September 13, 2014. The fire is located approximately eight miles southeast of the town of Estacada, Oregon burning in steep, rugged terrain. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

This true-color satellite image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite on September 14, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/14/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC