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June 16, 2024 - Wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador
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Fires were blazing across the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in mid-June 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image showing at least three large fires burning in Labrador on June 12.
Red “hot spots” mark the sites where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively burning fire.
Lightning strikes onto dry vegetation have been given as the cause for most of the fires in the region. Media reported that lightning strikes on June 14 ignited four additional fires, bringing the total to seven. All of the wildfires except one are listed as “out of control”.
Extreme fire warnings are in effect for the Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Northwest River, and Rigolet regions. More than 14,000 hectares have been affected by the wildfires.
According to CBC News, the provincial forest fire duty officer, Bryan Oke, stated that a typical fire season will see about 100 starts by this time of year, but things are slower in 2024 with only 20 starts so far. However, that could change quickly depending on the weather.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/12/2024
Resolutions:
1km (348.4 KB), 500m (1.2 MB), 250m (3.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fires were blazing across the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in mid-June 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image showing at least three large fires burning in Labrador on June 12.
Red “hot spots” mark the sites where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively burning fire.
Lightning strikes onto dry vegetation have been given as the cause for most of the fires in the region. Media reported that lightning strikes on June 14 ignited four additional fires, bringing the total to seven. All of the wildfires except one are listed as “out of control”. Extreme fire warnings are in effect for the Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Northwest River, and Rigolet regions. More than 14,000 hectares have been affected by the wildfires.
According to CBC News, the provincial forest fire duty officer, Bryan Oke, stated that a typical fire season will see about 100 starts by this time of year, but things are slower in 2024 with only 20 starts so far. However, that could change quickly depending on the weather.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/12/2024
Resolutions:
1km (348.4 KB), 500m (1.2 MB), 250m (3.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
