Several fires are burning in the Canadian provinces of Alberta (left) and Saskatchewan (right). Some are burning in prairies to the south, but a few are burning in the forests to the north. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, over 1,800 fires have occurred already this year, consuming more than 777,000 acres. Late green-up (new growth of spring vegetation), dry conditions, and wind have made fire dangers high in the region, and many of the fires burning throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have been fanned out of control. In Saskatchewan, people have been forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters struggle to control the blazes. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on May 30, 2002.
Please note that the high-resolution scene provided here is 500 meters per pixel. For a copy of the scene at the sensor's fullest resolution, visit the MODIS Rapid Response Image Gallery.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
