Images
June 3, 2012 - Whitewater-Baldy fire, New Mexico
Tweet
A ring of fire encircled the Whitewater-Baldy Complex in on May 31, 2012 as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite flew overhead and acquired this true-color image. By that date, burnout operations, in which controlled fires are set to consume fuel along the path of an uncontrolled fire, were being widely used along the perimeter of the massive fire in an effort to contain the spread.
The Whitewater-Baldy fire began on May 16 as two lightning strikes ignited two separate fires in the Gila National Forest. The two fires soon joined together, and by June 2, the Complex had consumed over 227,000 acres of mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, pinon/juniper and grass fuels, much of it in extremely rugged terrain. It is the largest fire in New Mexico’s history.
Over 1,250 firefighters were working blaze which, according to Inciweb, was only 17% contained on June 2. Because of the extremely difficult conditions, special forces known as heli-rappellers had been brought in. These firefighters will rappel from a helicopter into remote locations to extinguish fires or provide reconnaissance information. Due to the terrain and weather, growth potential of this fire remains listed as “high”.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/31/2012
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
A ring of fire encircled the Whitewater-Baldy Complex in on May 31, 2012 as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite flew overhead and acquired this true-color image. By that date, burnout operations, in which controlled fires are set to consume fuel along the path of an uncontrolled fire, were being widely used along the perimeter of the massive fire in an effort to contain the spread.
The Whitewater-Baldy fire began on May 16 as two lightning strikes ignited two separate fires in the Gila National Forest. The two fires soon joined together, and by June 2, the Complex had consumed over 227,000 acres of mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, pinon/juniper and grass fuels, much of it in extremely rugged terrain. It is the largest fire in New Mexico’s history.
Over 1,250 firefighters were working blaze which, according to Inciweb, was only 17% contained on June 2. Because of the extremely difficult conditions, special forces known as heli-rappellers had been brought in. These firefighters will rappel from a helicopter into remote locations to extinguish fires or provide reconnaissance information. Due to the terrain and weather, growth potential of this fire remains listed as “high”.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/31/2012
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
