Images
May 20, 2026 - Fires in California
Tweet
California’s wildfire season heated up during May 2026. On May 19, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported 24 new fires had ignited in Southern California within the prior 24 hours, including two classified as large. Those two large fires, plus one older large fire, were listed as “uncontained”. The three major fires were the Sandy Fire, River Fire, and Santa Rosa Island Fire.
The Santa Rosa Island Fire ignited on May 15, according to CAL FIRE, and had burnt 16,938 acres as of May 19. It is burning in Channel Islands National Park in brush and grass. Three structures have been lost with additional structures threatened. The River Fire was first reported on May 18 in Kern County and had expanded to 3,535 acres by the next day. It continues active behavior, with uphill runs, wind-driven runs, and flanking. Structures are under threat and road closures are in effect. The Sandy Fire began on May 18 one mile south of Simi Valley, California. By the next day it had scorched 1,698 acres and was continuing to expand.
This true-color image of Southern California was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua on May 18, 2026. At that time, heavy smoke poured from the Santa Rosa Island Fire and blew over the Pacific Ocean. The River and Sandy Fire likely added no smoke to the scene, since they were very new fires at the time this image was captured.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/18/2026
Resolutions:
1km (127.5 KB), 500m (294.4 KB), 250m (400.7 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
California’s wildfire season heated up during May 2026. On May 19, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported 24 new fires had ignited in Southern California within the prior 24 hours, including two classified as large. Those two large fires, plus one older large fire, were listed as “uncontained”. The three major fires were the Sandy Fire, River Fire, and Santa Rosa Island Fire.
The Santa Rosa Island Fire ignited on May 15, according to CAL FIRE, and had burnt 16,938 acres as of May 19. It is burning in Channel Islands National Park in brush and grass. Three structures have been lost with additional structures threatened. The River Fire was first reported on May 18 in Kern County and had expanded to 3,535 acres by the next day. It continues active behavior, with uphill runs, wind-driven runs, and flanking. Structures are under threat and road closures are in effect. The Sandy Fire began on May 18 one mile south of Simi Valley, California. By the next day it had scorched 1,698 acres and was continuing to expand.
This true-color image of Southern California was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua on May 18, 2026. At that time, heavy smoke poured from the Santa Rosa Island Fire and blew over the Pacific Ocean. The River and Sandy Fire likely added no smoke to the scene, since they were very new fires at the time this image was captured.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/18/2026
Resolutions:
1km (127.5 KB), 500m (294.4 KB), 250m (400.7 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
