image: Several fires are burning in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of smoke and detected heat from several of them on July 13, 2016 The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument that flies onboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of smoke from the combination of the Black Range Complex Fires and the School Fire. In the image the smoke was blowing to the east. According to Inciweb, the Black Range Complex Fires on the Black Ranger Range District consists of two fires: the Kline Fire and the Cooney Fire. Inciweb is an interagency all-risk incident information management system that coordinates with federal, state and local agencies to manage wildfires. On Wednesday, July 13, Inciweb reported that the Cooney Fire consists of approximately 1,200 acres burning in low to moderate pine, oak and grass. The Kline Fire is located near Kline Mountain and consists of approximately 50 acres burning Ponderosa pine and piñon-juniper. These lightning-caused fires started on Friday, July 8, and are located in the Black Range Mountains, 65 miles northwest of Truth Consequences, New Mexico. The School fire is located west of the Black Range Complex fire. It is burning on the Reserve Ranger District and is now 1,500 acres at 0% containment according to Inciweb. This is also a fire caused by lightning. The fire started on July 8, 2016 about 50 miles southeast of Reserve, N.M. view more
Credit: Image Credit: NASA MODIS Rapid Response, Jeff Schmaltz, Text: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Rob Gutro