Hot, dry weather and strong winds fueled wildland fires in Baja California in late January 2025. Seasonal Santa Ana winds blew in from dry areas inland and accelerated down the Sierra Juarez mountain range, creating conditions where a few sparks and small brush fires could quickly escalate.
The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of smoke streaming from a large fire in the El Escondido area of Ensenada on January 23, 2025. The image was captured at 1:44 p.m. Pacific Time (21:44 Universal Time).
Mexico’s National Forestry Commission reported that the fire began on January 22 and had burned nearly 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) by January 24. According to Baja California’s Civil Protection Office, winds exceeded 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour as the fire burned. The region is also experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.
Forecasters expect the region to get some relief soon. They predict that winds should ease in the coming days and a developing storm will likely bring rain.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.
