An explosive fire in Kruger National Park in the northern Republic of SouthAfrica has killed at least 21 people and injured several others, perhapsfatally. This true-color image from NASA’s Moderate-resolution ImagingSpectroradiometer (MODIS) shows the location of that fire and severalothers in the region indicated in red.
Kruger National Park runs along the border of The Republic of SouthAfrica, which takes up most of the western half of the image, andMozambique, which takes up most of the eastern half. The deadly firestarted on Tuesday, September4, and burned just to the right of the center of this image, near thetown of Skukuza. The fire spread rapidly in the winds that blow acrossSouth Africa at the end of the region’s dry season.
This image, made from MODIS data acquired on September 5, shows theperimeter of the fire burning and emitting heavy smoke. An irregularlyshaped burn scar stands out in dark brown against the landscape,indicating the extent of the fire. What appears to be another large burnscar can be seen just to the southeast.
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Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
