Two large wildfires raged out of control, consuming more than 6,000 acres, in Vietnam’s U Minh Ha forest on April 14, 2002. Prolonged drought has parched Vietnam’s southern provinces, leaving them highly susceptible to wildfire outbreaks. More than 4,000 soldiers and firefighters were called in the battle the blazes.
This true-color image of the fire was acquired on April 14 by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Terra satellite. The red box indicates the area affected by the fire, while its immense smoke plume (greyish pixels) can be seen blowing westward over the Gulf of Thailand.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
