Gusty winds, steep and rocky terrain, low humidity, and water shortages are slowing the progress of firefighters as they work to contain the Aspen Fire northeast of Tucson, Arizona. The fire, which is the southernmost red outline in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from June 20, 2003, has burned hundreds of homes and other structures in communities on Mt. Lemmon. A large plume of smoke is streaming northeast. The fire, which has been burning less than a week, had already grown to more than 11,000 acres by Monday, June 23.
The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS’ maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters.
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Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
