On April 11, 2016, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of fires burning across Nepal. Red outlines indicate hot spots where VIIRS detected warm surface temperatures associated with the fires. Plumes of smoke have dispersed across the country.
Nepal’s forest fire activity tends to peak at this time of year. A record number of fires were reported on April 10, according to Zee News. The report also noted that 13,000 square kilometers (1.3 million hectares) were burned over the span of 15 days.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Kathryn Hansen.
