Images: Wildfire Dust and Smoke Plumes from space

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Images: Wildfire Dust and Smoke Plumes from space

MODIS and Geo Mac Satellite fire perimeter maps - Southern California Fires

Satellite fire perimeter map - Southern California Fires

Fires near Los Angeles, California

Driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, wildfires raged near Los Angeles, California, in mid-October 2008. Not only did the winds fan the fires’ flames, they also sent the smoke far out to sea. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took this picture at 2:20 p.m. local time (21:20 UTC) on October 13, 2008. In this image, an opaque plume of smoke fans out as it blows over the Pacific Ocean, past the Channel Islands. Counter-clockwise swirls of smoke within the plume suggest shifting wind directions as the smoke moves westward. Further evidence of the Santa Ana winds’ strength appears in the south, where a faint plume of dust mimics the smoke plume’s general movement.

According to the report from the National Interagency Fire Center issued on the morning of October 14, 2008, the Sesnon fire was located 11 kilometers (7 miles) northeast of Simi Valley, while the Marek fire was located 8 kilometers (5 miles) east of San Fernando. Both fires threatened numerous structures and forced evacuations. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, strong winds were expected to continue in the area through the evening of October 15.

CNN reported that, as of October 14, at least two people had died, and the wildfires had burned more than 10,000 acres (40.5 square kilometers) in the hills of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. More than 1,400 firefighters had joined the efforts to contain the fires.

Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

So Cal Wildfire heat signatures from space - Modis

Sesnon fire - Marek fire - October 14th pm
Geo Mac Satellite fire perimeter map - Southern California Fires
HMS 2008-10-14 730 (GMT); Thermal MODIS 2008-10-14 914 (GMT); Fire Perimeters 2008-10-14; Sit Reports 2008-10-13 .

Sesnon fire - Marek fire - October 15th am
Geo Mac Satellite fire perimeter map - Southern California Fires

HMS 2008-10-14 730 (GMT); Thermal MODIS 2008-10-15 957 (GMT); Fire Perimeters 2008-10-14; Sit Reports 2008-10-15

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Wednesday, October 15, 2008