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April 13, 2026 - Fires in Oklahoma
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Plumes of smoke streaked the skies over Oklahoma on April 8, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image. The plumes accompany more than a dozen actively burning fires, each marked by a red “hot spot” .
The grassy prairies of Oklahoma often carry a high risk of wildfire, especially when the grasses are dry after a period of scant rainfall and winds are gusty. Wildfire season in the state is generally considered to peak by March, which is said to be the windiest month of the year.
By April, when spring showers set in and dampens the fuel and winds die down wildfire risk diminishes. This is the time that wildland managers begin to look for favorable conditions to set “prescribed burns”, which are fires set and controlled to manage land. Typically, a primary goal of a prescribed burn is to reduce fuel load, which in turn reduces the risk of large and destructive wildfires. But wildland managers often have additional goals as well. In Oklahoma, prescribed burns are often used to manage habitat for quail and to remove unwanted red cedar trees.
While it’s not possible to determine if a fire is a prescribed burn or a wildfire just from a satellite image, sometimes there are clues. In this case, given the time of year, the multiple and widespread fire, and the fact that most fires appear small in size, it is likely that at least most of these are prescribed burns used to manage wildland or agricultural fields. The state wildfire explorer does list one wildfire in Eastern Oklahoma that was burning on April 8, as well as a number of prescribed burns.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/8/2026
Resolutions:
1km (112.9 KB), 500m (375.7 KB), 250m (1.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Plumes of smoke streaked the skies over Oklahoma on April 8, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image. The plumes accompany more than a dozen actively burning fires, each marked by a red “hot spot” .
The grassy prairies of Oklahoma often carry a high risk of wildfire, especially when the grasses are dry after a period of scant rainfall and winds are gusty. Wildfire season in the state is generally considered to peak by March, which is said to be the windiest month of the year.
By April, when spring showers set in and dampens the fuel and winds die down wildfire risk diminishes. This is the time that wildland managers begin to look for favorable conditions to set “prescribed burns”, which are fires set and controlled to manage land. Typically, a primary goal of a prescribed burn is to reduce fuel load, which in turn reduces the risk of large and destructive wildfires. But wildland managers often have additional goals as well. In Oklahoma, prescribed burns are often used to manage habitat for quail and to remove unwanted red cedar trees.
While it’s not possible to determine if a fire is a prescribed burn or a wildfire just from a satellite image, sometimes there are clues. In this case, given the time of year, the multiple and widespread fire, and the fact that most fires appear small in size, it is likely that at least most of these are prescribed burns used to manage wildland or agricultural fields. The state wildfire explorer does list one wildfire in Eastern Oklahoma that was burning on April 8, as well as a number of prescribed burns.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/8/2026
Resolutions:
1km (112.9 KB), 500m (375.7 KB), 250m (1.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
