Wildfires continued burning in western Oregon on September 23, 2009. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image the same day. Red outlines indicate hotspots associated with the fires. Opaque plumes gradually thin toward the north. To the west, bright white clouds hug the Pacific coastline. Unlike the previous day’s image, this shot shows relatively clear skies over Eugene, Oregon.
According to a report from the Incident Information System on September 25, 2009, the Tumblebug Complex Fire had burned 10,500 acres (42.5 square kilometers) and was 5 percent contained. A report from September 24 stated that the Rainbow Fire had grown explosively on September 22, but weather conditions had moderated its growth the following day. That fire was 10 percent contained.
The large image shows the extent of the smoke plumes from these fires. The smoke blew across Washington State and into Canada on September 23, heading toward the northeast near the U.S.-Canada border. Especially thick smoke accumulated in southeastern British Columbia.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
