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July 1, 2026 - Fires Across the Western United States
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Extremely dry fuel combined with high air temperatures, low humidity, and gusting wind combined to create conditions ripe for wildfire across much of the American west by mid-June 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of multiple smoke-laden fires burning in Utah, Colorado, and Arizona on June 29.
These fires, one of which has proven deadly, are just a small portion of fires that were burning in the United States on June 29. According to the National Interagency Fire Agency, June 28 saw 83 new fire starts across the nation on that day alone. In addition, 54 fires classified as “large” continued to burn, with most located in the west. These included 8 large fires in Utah, 6 in Arizona, 6 in Colorado, 4 in New Mexico, 3 in Washington, 2 in Wyoming, 1 in Idaho, and 1 in California.
The largest fire in the United States remains the Cottonwood Fire. Located in Utah, it had scorched 93,918 acres by June 30, according to InciWeb. This fire began on the afternoon of June 22, and its cause is listed as “undetermined”. As of June 30, the Cottonwood Fire is listed as 5 percent contained.
The deadliest fire in the region this year is the Snyder Fire, which entrapped 5 firefighters who were making initial attacks on the Knowles and Gore Fires on June 27. Three firefighters died at the scene and two others were injured. The Knowles and Gore Fires merged with the Snyder, and the entire set of blazes are now known as the Snyder Fire. First ignited on June 27 near Grand Junction, Colorado, during a Red Flag Warning, the Snyder Fire has reached 30,209 acres in size and is 10 percent contained as of June 30.
Since this image was acquired, another devastating fire ignited near Pueblo, in southern Colorado. Known as the Aspen Acres Fire, it first ignited on June 29 near the Aspen Acres campground and by that same afternoon had spread to cover 23,000 acres. By the next day, it had affected more than 28,000 acres and had destroyed more than100 structures in Pueblo County and 55 structures in Custer County, according to a press conference covered by local media on June 30. The Historic Horseshoe Lodge at Pueblo Mountain Park was reported to be heavily damaged, and one firefighter has been injured. The blaze remains at 0 percent containment as of the evening of June 30, but firefighters have made good progress in slowing growth and protecting structures.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/29/2026
Resolutions:
1km (812.6 KB), 500m (2.3 MB), 250m (3.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Extremely dry fuel combined with high air temperatures, low humidity, and gusting wind combined to create conditions ripe for wildfire across much of the American west by mid-June 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of multiple smoke-laden fires burning in Utah, Colorado, and Arizona on June 29.
These fires, one of which has proven deadly, are just a small portion of fires that were burning in the United States on June 29. According to the National Interagency Fire Agency, June 28 saw 83 new fire starts across the nation on that day alone. In addition, 54 fires classified as “large” continued to burn, with most located in the west. These included 8 large fires in Utah, 6 in Arizona, 6 in Colorado, 4 in New Mexico, 3 in Washington, 2 in Wyoming, 1 in Idaho, and 1 in California.
The largest fire in the United States remains the Cottonwood Fire. Located in Utah, it had scorched 93,918 acres by June 30, according to InciWeb. This fire began on the afternoon of June 22, and its cause is listed as “undetermined”. As of June 30, the Cottonwood Fire is listed as 5 percent contained.
The deadliest fire in the region this year is the Snyder Fire, which entrapped 5 firefighters who were making initial attacks on the Knowles and Gore Fires on June 27. Three firefighters died at the scene and two others were injured. The Knowles and Gore Fires merged with the Snyder, and the entire set of blazes are now known as the Snyder Fire. First ignited on June 27 near Grand Junction, Colorado, during a Red Flag Warning, the Snyder Fire has reached 30,209 acres in size and is 10 percent contained as of June 30.
Since this image was acquired, another devastating fire ignited near Pueblo, in southern Colorado. Known as the Aspen Acres Fire, it first ignited on June 29 near the Aspen Acres campground and by that same afternoon had spread to cover 23,000 acres. By the next day, it had affected more than 28,000 acres and had destroyed more than100 structures in Pueblo County and 55 structures in Custer County, according to a press conference covered by local media on June 30. The Historic Horseshoe Lodge at Pueblo Mountain Park was reported to be heavily damaged, and one firefighter has been injured. The blaze remains at 0 percent containment as of the evening of June 30, but firefighters have made good progress in slowing growth and protecting structures.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/29/2026
Resolutions:
1km (812.6 KB), 500m (2.3 MB), 250m (3.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
