Strong winds fueled the Bar Complex Fire in Northern California on September 13, 2006. The fire started as two separate fires on July 24, 2006, when lightning struck the ground in Shasta Trinity National Forest. By September 13, the fires (known jointly as the Bar Complex) had burned 50,826 acres and were 49 percent contained at a cost of 32.3 million dollars, said the National Interagency Fire Center’s Incident Report. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this photo-like image of the fires at 2:25 p.m., local time, on September 13. Dense smoke is blowing east of the fires (outlined in red) on strong winds. The Bar Complex Fire forms a long wall through the dark green, forest-covered Klamath Mountains. To its north burns the smaller Uncles Complex Fire, which was threatening historical structures and cultural resources, said the National Interagency Fire Center. East of both fires is the snow-capped Mt. Shasta, one of the largest volcanoes in the Cascade Range.
Fire activity was high throughout the western United States on September 13. Numerous large fires can be seen in the large image, which is provided at MODIS’ maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Daily images of the region are provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team.
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NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
