August 4, 2008 - Forest Fire Scorches Island of Rodos

Fores Fire Scorches Island of Rodos

Over the last weekend of July, a large forest fire on the Greek island Rodos (Rhodes) forced hundreds of tourists to evacuate. This image of the island was captured on July 29, 2008, by the MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. It uses a combination of visible and infrared light to highlight the burned area, which stands out as a brick red patch across the central part of the island. Unburned vegetation is bright green.

The fire burned out of control for several days in the fourth week of July, but as of the time of this image, MODIS did not detect any remaining hot spots.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 07/29/2008
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC