Monday afternoon, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite detected several large fires burning across the Pacific Northwest. Marked with red outlines, the largest of the fires in the scene is the Fawn Peak Complex Fire in northern Washington (image center).

This complex consisted of three fires—the Fawn Peak, Farewell Fire, and Sweetgrass Fire—started by lightning on June 29, 2003. As of July 16, the Fawn Peak and Sweetgrass Fires were under control, but the Farewell Creek Fire continues to grow rapidly in the steep, dry, and rugged terrain of the Pasayten Wilderness. The fire was close to 50,000 acres as of Monday, July 21, when this image was captured by the satellite.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC