American West Continues to Burn

In a year that is on pace to break records, wildfires burned throughout Idaho, Washington, and Oregon in September.

Image of the Day Heat Land Dust and Haze Fires

Historic Fires Devastate the U.S. Pacific Coast

Satellite data is helping scientists size up one of the most intense outbreaks of fire and smoke that Oregon and California have seen in decades.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

Wildfires Blanket Western States With Smoke

California’s Carr Fire was one of 98 large, active fires delivering smoke across the United States in late July.

Image of the Day Heat Land Fires

Wildfires in the West

Wildfires have charred more than 6 million acres in the United States.

Image of the Day Land Fires

Smoke Spreads Across the U.S. and Canadian West

Wildfires are burning across a region struck by extremely hot, dry conditions.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Life Fires

Smoke Pall Spans the United States

Smoke from fires in the Pacific Northwest stretched across the United States.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires Remote Sensing

Sampling the Castle Fire

Researchers are flying through wildfire smoke to learn about the molecules lingering inside its plume.

Image of the Day Land Fires

Bagley Fire Burn Scar

In a region that has seen the number of fires and acres burned rise in recent decades, the Bagley fire burned another 46,000 acres of forest in northern California. However, recently published research suggests the severity of fires in the area has remained steady.

Fires

Smoke from Camp Fire Billows Across California

In many areas, air quality deteriorated as smoke from the destructive fire spread widely across northern California.

Atmosphere Fires

A Smoky Inferno

Intense fires raged in several western states over the Labor Day weekend.

Image of the Day Heat Land Fires Human Presence

Smoke from the Rim Fire

Smoke from the Rim Fire brought unhealthy air to Yosemite National Park and the San Joaquin Valley over the Labor Day Weekend.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Fires in Florida

Fires

Smoke in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska

Smoke from fires burning across Alaska posed air quality concerns.

Atmosphere Heat Land Life Fires

Wildfires and Smoke in Oregon

More than a dozen wildfires and wildfire complexes are contributing to the blanket of smoke over Oregon.

Atmosphere Land Fires

Smoke from Canada Moves South

A river of smoke from wildfires in Northwest Territories has moved south into Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the United States.

Image of the Day Land Fires

Lion Fire, California

Twenty days after being ignited by lightning, California’s Lion Fire continues to grow.

Land Fires

California’s Nightmare Fire Season Continues

Another stretch of intense heat has reinvigorated the state’s brutal 2020 fire season.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Fires Human Presence

Wildfire Smoke Shrouds the U.S. West

An unusual amount of smoke from wildfires has spread across hundreds of miles.

Image of the Day Heat Fires Human Presence

One Fire, Two Plumes

As the smoke from this fire makes clear, surface winds do not always blow in the same direction as those at higher altitudes.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Fires

A Rash of Fire in Canada and the Pacific Northwest

Hot weather, parched forests, and lightning came together in July 2014 to ignite numerous wildfires in British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, and Oregon.

Image of the Day Land Fires

Smoke over Colorado

Acquired June 5, 2011, this natural-color image shows thick smoke from Arizona traveling northward through Colorado.

Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze