South of Lake Tahoe and north of Yosemite National Park, the Cannon Fire has crossed the California State Line and is burning northward into the Walker River area in Nevada. More than 1000 people were evacuated from homes and camps in the mountains near Walker River, and at least one residence has been destroyed. The fire nearly tripled in size on Monday, June 17, 2002, growing from 5,000 acres to just under 15,000. It was while fighting the Cannon Fire that an air tanker crashed as it made a flame-retardant drop, killing all three on board.
The Canon is the largest fire (red dot) seen in this MODIS image acquired on June 17, 2002. Other large fires include the Sudden Ranch Fire on the Vandenberg Air Force Base (westernmost fire in the image), and the Bluecut Fire north of Los Angeles (easternmost fire in the images), which has produced numerous evacuations.
Please note that the high-resolution scene provided here is 500 meters per pixel. For a copy of the scene at the sensor's fullest resolution, visit the MODIS Rapid Response Image Gallery.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
