This image was made using a combination of visible and infrared electromagnetic observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite from October 26, 2003. The flaming fire fronts are so hot that they are immediately visible in the image as bright pink spots on the perimeter of the fires. Burned areas are brick red, smoke is blue, and vegetation is bright green.
The large image also shows the now-merged Grand Prix and Old Fires east of Los Angeles, and the Piru, Verdale, and Simi Incident Fires to the northwest of the city.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Multiple massive wildifres burned in southern California during the last week of October 2003. This series of images shows the fires and the damage they caused as seen from a variety of satellites.