On August 10, 2002, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Kazakhstan and numerous fires (red dots) burning there. The patchwork of small rectangles that dominates the northern part of the image shows plots of farm or ranch land, and the small scattered fires are likely for agricultural purposes. Some of the larger blazes to the south may be grassland fires, or agricultural burns that got out of control.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
