NASA MODIS Image of the Day: June 19, 2011 – Wallow North and Horseshoe2 fires, Arizona
Fire authorities in Arizona continue to battle two of the largest fires in Arizona history on June 15, 2011 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured this true-color image at 20:30 UTC (4:30 p.
m.
EDT). The Wallow Fire has become the largest fire on record in the state, and the Horseshoe Two Fire is the fifth largest. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for June 16, 17 and 18 due to strong winds and low humidity. By the afternoon of June 18, strong southwest winds caused the Wallow Fire to breach containment lines on the east side, threatening the town of Luna, New Mexico, which began evacuation at 3:15 p.m. local time. The high winds also caused air resources fighting the fire to be grounded. On June 18, Inciweb reported that, despite the breach, this fire was 38% contained. A Red Flag Warning for this area will continue through June 19. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or are imminent. The Horseshoe 2 Fire can be seen in this image south of the Wallow Fire, and appears as several large red hotspots along the edge of a dark brown circular area. This dark brown area is a fire scar, where all vegetation has been consumed and the remaining land appears charred. Gray smoke plumes accompany the hotspots and blow to the northeast. On June 18, Inciweb reported this fire was 75% contained, but indicated that growth potential was “extreme”. By June 18, the Horseshoe Two Fire had consumed over 210,000 acres and the Wallow Fire had burned over 500,000 acres of land. At over 710,000 acres, the total area scorched by these two fires has now grown greater than the state of Rhode Island (677,000 acres).
