A large fire consumed 600-700 hectares (1,500-1,750 acres) of natural pine forest and plantations in far western Cuba between May 5 and May 8, 2006, said news reports. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of the fire on May 6. The fire, outlined in red, was burning in a hard-to-reach mountainous area. The burning wood generated a thick plume of brown and white smoke, which was blowing northwest when MODIS took this image at 12:40 p.m. local time.
Fire is used extensively as an agricultural tool in Cuba, but natural forest fires occur as well. Fire season runs from March to May in Cuba, and ends when the rainy season begins in May. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. It is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team.
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NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
