On June 15, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of New Mexico, showing the Sedgwick Fire (top) in the Cibola National Forest, as well as a smaller, unnamed fire to the south (bottom). Pixels in which MODIS detected fire are outlined in red.
The Sedgwick Fire was ignited by a campfire, and it is burning in ponderosa pine and mixed forest in mountainous, canyon-carved terrain. As of June 15, the fire was estimated to be 3,383 acres, and was about 20 percent contained.
Other interesting landscape features are visible in the left hand, wider-area portion of the image. To the east of the fires, the Rio Grande runs from top to bottom through the scene in a light green line. The White Sands National Monument makes a bright white circle near the lower right edge.
Image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC. The image is available in multiple resolutions.
