• MODIS Pic of the Day 18 August 2022

    From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Thu Aug 18 12:00:06 2022
    August 18, 2022 - Multiple Fires in Idaho Forests

    Fires in Idaho
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    Dry weather, low humidity, gusty winds, and lightning strikes sparked
    multiple fires in the forests of central and southern Idaho in July and
    August 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
    on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of fires and
    smoke in Idaho on August 16.

    Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS
    instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical
    smoke, as in this image, such hot spots mark actively burning fire. At
    least ten different fires were burning in the grass, timber, and heavy
    forest across the region on that date. These include, roughly from
    north to south, the Moose Fire, Pretty Fire, Petes Fire, Indian Ridge
    Fire, Dismal Fire, Wolf Fang Fire, Porphyry Fire, Woodtick Fire, Norton
    Fire, and Four Corners Fire. Each will be briefly described. The
    smaller fires are not visible in the image while the largest may have
    more than one hot spot, as fires often spread on several fronts.

    The Moose Fire, sitting in the northeast, is the largest fire. It
    started July 17 about 17 miles north of Salmon, Idaho. This blaze
    likely has been caused by humans and is under investigation. As of
    August 17, more than 1,000 personnel are working to suppress the fire,
    which has charred about 78,084 acres and is only 34 percent contained.
    Rafts are being used to shuttle firefighters and equipment across the
    Salmon River to work the fire. Also nearby are the Pretty Fire and
    Petes Fire. The Pretty Fire started on August 15 near the intersection
    of Panther Creek Road and Salmon River Road. It was contained on August
    16 and has not grown. On August 16, a lightning strike ignited Petes
    Fire near Moyer. As of August 17, it was only about 5 acres in size.
    Rising temperatures and low relative humidity, along with temperatures
    in the mid-90s, spur fire growth.

    The Indian Ridge Fire was started by lightning strike on July 7 in the
    Indian Creek drainage in Idaho’s Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. As of
    August 17, it has grown to approximately 4,000 acres. It is burning
    five miles from the Idaho/Montana border and is approximately 30 miles
    southwest of Darby, MT. Area and trail closure is in effect. The fire
    is burning in very steep, rugged, and remote terrain with heavy surface
    fuels and dead standing timber making access for firefighters difficult
    and dangerous. According to InciWeb Incident Information System, fire
    managers are using a point protection strategy on this fire, aimed at
    preventing any critical wilderness infrastructure from being negatively
    impacted by the fire. In a threatened campground, crews wrapped signs
    and tables with flame resistant foil and installed sprinklers on the
    road bridge.

    Lighting strikes ignited two fires in the Frank Church-River of No
    Return Wilderness of the Payette National Forest during the second week
    of July. This area is south and west of the Indian Ridge Fire. The
    first fire, Mosquito Ridge, was confined to a single tree and was
    completely put out on July 25. The second fire is called the Dismal
    Fire and continues to burn in the headwaters for the Dismal Creek
    Drainage. As of August 17, this fire has reached 1,371 acres in size.
    It is a low-intensity fire primarily burning in underbrush under
    standing trees. The InciWeb report states “The Dismal Fire is being
    managed to allow for naturally occurring wildfire to accomplish its
    ecological role.” In addition, a point/zone protection strategy is
    being utilized to protect valuable areas at risk.

    The Wolf Fang Fire, also started by lightning, was first reported July
    13 about four miles northeast of the confluence of Big Creek and the
    Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church-River of No Return
    Wilderness. As of August 17, the fire has reached 1,126 acres and is
    burning in spruce and fir is located in steep, rugged terrain. It is a
    low-intensity fire, exhibiting creeping and smoldering behavior in
    essentially inaccessible territory. With a focus on risk to responders
    and public safety, the fire is being assessed daily but no active
    suppression was reported.

    On August 11, thunderstorms passed over the Payette National Forest,
    sparking the Porphyry Fire which burns west of Porphyry Creek high
    along the ridge from the South Fork of the Salmon River. To date, it
    has burned 485 acres and closures of parts of the forest are likely as
    the fire is continuing to expand. Currently the Porphyry Fire is under
    a suppression strategy with point/zone protection at noted values at
    risk, such as a burnout of fuels near a bridge that has been successful
    in protecting that structure. The steep and extremely rugged terrain is
    characterized as “unforgiving to firefighters”, so additional tactics,
    such as aerial assists, are being assessed to hold this fire to as
    small a size as safely possible.

    The Norton Fire started on August 1 when thunderstorms tracked through
    the Salmon Challis National Forest. The lightning fire is located
    approximately seven miles Northwest of Lower Loon Creek in the Frank
    Church-River of No Return Wilderness. As of August 17, the fire had
    burned about 470 acres. An aggressive initial attack was attempted with
    25 firefighters and two type 1 helicopters in an attempt to catch it
    early. However, due to firefighter safety, fire behavior, and difficult
    access to the fire, a direct attack strategy was changed to point
    protection. Fire managers continue to monitor fire activity using
    remote cameras and aircraft.

    The Four Corners wildfire flared up about an hour before sunset on
    August 13, according to an InciWeb report. As of August 17, the blaze
    has burned about 3,500 acres near Lookout Peak in the West Mountain
    range west of Cascade on the Payette and Boise National Forests. While
    no cause has been definitively determined, it is thought to be a
    lightning holdover from thunderstorms that crossed the area on August
    11. The strategy for this fire is full suppression, including aerial
    support. Boaters on the Cascade Reservoir are cautioned that
    water-scooping aircraft will be taking water from the reservoir. The
    water scoopers hold 1,600 gallons of water and it takes 12 seconds to
    fill the capacity while skimming over the reservoir, so boaters are
    asked to stay clear of the path of the aircraft.

    Image Facts
    Satellite: Aqua
    Date Acquired: 8/16/2022
    Resolutions: 1km (337.3 KB), 500m (226 KB), 250m (656 KB)
    Bands Used: 1,4,3
    Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



    https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-08-18

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