Over a hundred fires were burning in the Democratic Republic of Congo (top) and Angola (bottom) on May 14, 2002. Most of the fires are probably set by humans to clear land for farming or to create rangelands. In this way, vast areas of the continent are being transformed; for example, extensive deforestation is apparent in the rainforests at the top of the image.
Please note that the high-resolution scene provided here is 500 meters per pixel. For a copy of this scene at the sensor's fullest resolution, visit the MODIS Rapidfire site.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
