image: Utah and Wyoming, like Colorado, are also dealing with some large wildfires. Smoke and heat from those fires were detected by an instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard Terra has infrared capabilities that can detect heat. 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. This image shows the heat and smoke occurring from the Church Camp and Wood Hollow fires in Utah, and the Fonterelle fire in western Wyoming. The image was captured on June 27, 2012, at 17:55 UTC (1:55 p.m. EDT). The Church Camp Fire is burning 20 miles south of Duchesne, Utah. As of June 28, it has burned 5,200 acres and is five percent contained, according to the Utah State Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands. Evacuations are continuing along Argyle Canyon. The Wood Hollow fire has covered more territory. Wood Hollow has consumed 46,190 acres and is 15 percent contained. The fire has destroyed 56 structures and taken one life. Evacuations are in place for Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, Big Hollow, and the Oaker Hills communities. In Wyoming, the Fontenelle fire is creating a lot of smoke, seen blowing in a northeasterly direction on the satellite image. This fire has consumed 17,000 acres and according to the US Forest Service it located in Lincoln and Sublette County, Wyoming. view more
Credit: Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team; Caption: Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center