In the Sierra Nevada Mountains in southern California, the McNalley Fire continues to grow, particularly along its northern flank. As of August 18, the fire had consumed 142,815 acres, most of which are in the Sequoia National Forest. As the fire continues to spread into the Inyo Wilderness Area to the north, it is threatening water quality in streams that are home to the endangered golden trout, and firefighters are taking measures to prevent contamination in the area—an area so important to the species’ habitat that it is called the Golden Trout Wilderness Area.
This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image was acquired by the Terra satellite on August 18, 2002.Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
