April 22, 2021
Russian emergency services have reported an abnormally high number of fires in the Omsk oblast of southwest Siberia. On April 22, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of fires in the region. As of April 28, smoke from the fires was still visible.
Wildfire smoke has traveled about 700 kilometers (400 miles) east toward Novosibirsk, Russia’s third largest city. Citizens reported thick smoke reducing visibility on roads, and authorities issued a “black sky” air quality warning in Novosibirsk on April 27.
References & Resources
- EMERCOM of Russia (2021, April 19) The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia intensifies the work on prevention the counter fire of dry vegetation. Accessed April 28, 2021.
- The Moscow Times (2021, April 27) Wildfire Smoke Blankets Russiaâs Third-Largest City. Accessed April 28, 2021.
- The Siberian Times (2021, April 26) Wildfire infernos in Western Siberia as drivers in Novosibirsk region report zero visibility. Accessed April 28, 2021.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview . Text by Kasha Patel.
