August 11, 2021 - Wildfires in the Western United States

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The devastating 2021 fire season in the Western United States continued
at high intensity through early August, fanned by drought, extremely
hot temperatures, low humidity, and gusting winds. According to the
National Interagency Fire Center, on August 9 there were 108 large
fires burning across the United States and these fires have burned 2.4
million acres in 15 states. Most of these fires are located in the
Western states, with Montana reporting 24 large fires; Idaho, 20;
Oregon 17; Washington, 15; and California counting 11 large fires. In
addition, 3 large fires burn in Wyoming with Colorado, Utah, Nevada,
and Arizona counting one in each state. A “large fire” is typically
defined as any wildland fire 100 acres or greater in timber, or 300
acres or greater in grassland/rangelands, or one that has an Incident
Management Team assigned to it.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of multiple fires
and heavy smoke on August 9. The most prominent fires cluster in
northern California and more red hotspots—each indicating actively
burning fire—can be seen in Oregon. A river of smoke originating from
the fires pours eastward across United States. Ultimately, that smoke
stretched more than 1,800 miles (3,000 km) to reach the Atlantic Ocean
on that date.

The largest fire currently burning in the United States is the Dixie
Fire. Located in northern California, the fire started on July 13 and
has become the second-largest fire in California history. The cause is
under investigation. It is burning on the Plumas National Forest,
Lassen National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and in four
counties: Butte, Lassen, Plumas, and Tehama. According to Inciweb
Incident Management System, as of August 9 the Dixie Fire has scorched
490,205 Acres and is only 27 percent contained. CAL FIRE, the authority
managing the incident, reports that 893 structures have been destroyed
and 61 have been damaged. Three firefighters have been injured, with
nearly 6,000 personnel working the fire. Extremely dry fuel, hot
weather, low humidity, and gusty winds continue to make this a very
active fire.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 8/9/2021
Resolutions: 1km (877.4 KB), 500m (3 MB), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-08-11

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