Wildfires burned in northwestern Wyoming in late August 2012. The Cygnet Complex Fire burned in Yellowstone National Park, and the North Buffalo Fire burned in Teton Wilderness.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on August 29, 2012. Red outlines approximate the locations of actively burning fires.
The North Buffalo Fire started on August 24, the Incident Information System reported. As of August 30, the fire had burned 12,584 acres (5,093 hectares), and had a high potential for growth. Fuel for the fire consisted of mixed conifer and beetle-killed trees. Forty-five firefighters were battling the blaze.
The Cygnet Complex Fire started on August 14, caused by lightning, the Incident Information System reported. Compared to the North Buffalo Fire, this blaze remained relatively small as of August 29.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.
