Two large lightning-caused fires were burning in Arizona on July 5, 2004 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image. Areas where MODIS detected fires are outlined in red. The Willow Fire (left of center) in Tonto National Forest was 80,400 acres and 15 percent contained as of July 5, while to the southeast, the Nuttall Complex, composed of the Nuttall and Gibson Fires, totaled more than 12,000 acres and was 5 percent contained. Upslope runs of the Gibson Fire were threatening the Mt. Graham International Observatory, where construction is underway on the most powerful telescope ever created.
Image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
