Credit: Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team;
NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of a large light-brown colored plumes of smoke from two large fires burning in New Mexico: the Thompson Ridge Fire (left) and the Tres Lagunas Fire (right).
Inciweb reported that the Thompson Ridge Fire is located in the Valles Caldera National Preserve, located about two miles northeast of La Cueva, New Mexico. The fire is reported to be human-caused, and started on May 31, 2013. So far, 1,906 acres have burned in the Preserve.
The Tres Leguans Fire was started by a downed power line on May 30. The fire started about 10 miles north of Pecos, New Mexico. As of June 2, the fire has burned 7,476 acres. The fire is currently uncontained.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite has infrared capabilities that can detect heat from the various wildfires. This image was captured on June 1, 2013 20:05 UTC (4:05 p.m. EDT/2:05p.m. MT). In the MODIS images, fires, or hot spots are color coded as red areas in imagery and smoke appears in light brown. Images are generated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
