June 21, 2016 - Dog Head Fire, New Mexico

Dog Head Fire, New Mexico

When NASA's Terra satellite passed over New Mexico on June 16, 2016, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard that satellite captured a true-color image of a large fire blazing in the northern Manzano Mountains.

According to Inciweb Incident Management System, the Dog Head Fire had sprung to life on June 14 at approximately 11:00 a.m. local time about six miles north of Tajique, a small town with a population of approximately 130. The fire had consumed about 16,000 acres of timber (litter and understory), medium logging slash, and ponderosa pine stands by June 16.

On June 20 Inciweb reported the fire containment had improved - but remained only 9 percent contained. The area burnt had increased to 17,944 acres and 923 personnel were engaged in fighting the blaze. Twenty-four single structures and twenty-one other minor structures had been damaged in the blaze. Firefighters expected the fire to continue to spread, with winds complicating firefighting efforts. The focus for the next forty-eight hours will continue to be on protection of homes and buildings, including evacuation as necessary as the fire moves into new areas.

The fire was reported to be human-caused, and it is under investigation.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 6/16/2016
Resolutions: 1km (121.2 KB), 500m (397.5 KB), 250m (916.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC