NASA MODIS Image of the Day: June 27, 2011 – Wallow Fire, Arizona and New Mexico
Intense smoke in the southeast border between New Mexico and Arizona continued to emerge from the Wallow fire on June 20, 2011.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the fires at 20:50 UTC that same day.
At the time this image was captured, the fire measured just over 519,000 acres and was 50% contained, according to InciWeb. Despite continuing high winds and hot, dry weather, the Wallow Fire was reported as 77% contained on June 26, and the total area involved was reported as 538,043 acres. Resources used at the scene include 14 helicopters, 5 air tankers, 134 engines, 44 water tenders, 13 bulldozers and 2,347 personnel. In this image, active fires are represented by red hotspots accompanied by smoke. In the Wallow Fire, the hotspots lie on the eastern and southeastern edges of a large oval dark area. This is a fire scar – an area where vegetation has been burnt, resulting in blackened or dark brown color to the landscape. To the south, a similar fire scar marks the Horseshoe 2 Fire. Originating on May 8, this fired consumed 222,954 acres of mixed conifer, oak brush, pinyon, juniper, ponderosa pine and grasses before being 100% contained on June 25. On June 16, stumps continue to smolder and smoke but the fire remains completely contained. The National Weather Service reports that because the Wallow Fire burned vast portions of the White Mountains, including areas of steep terrain, numerous locations are now vulnerable to flash floods and debris flows even in moderate intensity rains. It also cautions that if typical or averages rains occur, that floods may exceed “anything seen in decades”. Another hazard is the large numbers of elk which have been displaced by the Wallow Fire. InciWeb reports that elk are present on or near most of the highways and roads in the area, especially at night and early morning, creating a safety hazard.
