September 12, 2019 - Walker Fire in California

Walker Fire in California

More than a dozen fires burned across California in the opening days of September 2019. On September 8, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the Walker Fire actively burning in the Plumas National Forest about 11 miles east of the town of Taylorsville, California.

The blaze ignited on September 4, 2019 and expanded rapidly. As of the morning of September 11, Inciweb reported that 48,321 acres had been consumed by flames. The perimeter has been 20% contained and the cause of the blaze is under investigation. There are 110 engines, 30 handcrews, 17 dozers, 6 helicopters and 13 water tenders assigned to fighting the fire. Total personnel assigned numbers 1,284. The forecast for September 11 suggests that higher humidity and cooler temperatures should aid firefighting efforts today and tomorrow.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/8/2019
Resolutions: 1km (168.3 KB), 500m (432.5 KB), 250m (309.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC