image: A stream of smoke from fires in western Chile was spotted by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite at 1854 UTC (2:54 p.m. EST) on March 17, 2017.
The VIIRS instrument can detect the heat signatures from the fires, and actively burning areas are outlined in red in the image.
Fires stretched from the Bio Bio Province south into the Malleco Province and appeared southeast of Los Ángeles, stretching south of Victoria.
Los Angeles the capital of the province of Bío Bío, located in the center-south of Chile. It is situated between the Laja and Biobío rivers. Further south, Victoria is both a commune and city in Chile's Malleco Province of La Araucanía Region.
Credit: NASA image courtesy NOAA/NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Rob Gutro