Heavy smoke coming from forest fires around Fairbanks, Alaska, has drifted south and appears to be lined up with the clouds at the bottom of the image. The fire just right of center is the MP 78 Elliott Highway Fire, and to its east is the West Fork Chena Fire. Both of the fires continue to spread, crossing rivers and roads, and threatening structures. This image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on May 27, 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
