Images
May 18, 2026 - Fires in Arizona
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Heavy smoke rose from a fire on Arizona’s San Francisco Plateau in mid-May 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the blaze on May 14.
According to daily Aqua MODIS images of the area, this blaze started on May 12, reached its peak on May 14, and no evidence of the fire was seen on May 16. A red “hot spot” has been overlain on the area where the thermal bands on the MODIS image detected high temperatures. When paired with typical smoke, such hot spots mark actively burning fire.
While it’s not possible to tell the reason a fire started from just a satellite image, the location and timing of this fire seem to match advisories of prescribed burns within the Coconino National Forest posted on the Arizona Wildfire Dashboard. Prescribed burns are fires that are intentionally set and managed by professional fire personnel to care for wildlands. In this region, prescribed burns often last about 3 days and are ignited when weather is favorable.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/14/2026
Resolutions:
1km (99.5 KB), 500m (261.2 KB), 250m (297.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Heavy smoke rose from a fire on Arizona’s San Francisco Plateau in mid-May 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the blaze on May 14.
According to daily Aqua MODIS images of the area, this blaze started on May 12, reached its peak on May 14, and no evidence of the fire was seen on May 16. A red “hot spot” has been overlain on the area where the thermal bands on the MODIS image detected high temperatures. When paired with typical smoke, such hot spots mark actively burning fire.
While it’s not possible to tell the reason a fire started from just a satellite image, the location and timing of this fire seem to match advisories of prescribed burns within the Coconino National Forest posted on the Arizona Wildfire Dashboard. Prescribed burns are fires that are intentionally set and managed by professional fire personnel to care for wildlands. In this region, prescribed burns often last about 3 days and are ignited when weather is favorable.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/14/2026
Resolutions:
1km (99.5 KB), 500m (261.2 KB), 250m (297.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
