Fires in Arizona and New Mexico

Fires in Arizona and New Mexico

The Thomas Fire in the Apache-Sitegreaves National Forest of eastern Arizona came under complete control by firefighters on June 17, 2003, but not before this lightning-caused fire burned more than 10, 000 acres in the Blue Range Primitive Area, which is home to several threatened and endangered species, including the reintroduced Mexican Gray Wolf. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) shows the dark green, forested arc of the Mogollon Plateau beginning in the upper left of the image and the Thomas Fire burning in the center. Just east of the Thomas Fire is the Arizona-New Mexico State Line. Several other fires were detected by MODIS in this June 12, 2003, image, and have been marked with red dots.

Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC