August 9, 2003
This true-color image acquired on Aug. 9, 2003, by the Aqua MODIS sensor shows the locations of actively burning fires (red boxes) in Portugal. Although most of the forest fires were extinguished late last week, the combination of high temperatures, high winds, and low humidity have kept the potential for new fires quite high.
Fifteen people lost their lives as a result of the fires, which consumed more than 162,000 hectares of land, including roughly 20,000 of valuable cork trees.
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Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
