This MISR image pair shows "before and after" views of the area
around the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Washington.
On June 27, 2000, a fire in the dry sagebrush was sparked by an
automobile crash. The flames were fanned by hot summer winds.
By the day after the accident, about 100,000 acres had burned,
and the fire's spread forced the closure of highways and loss of
homes.
These images, from Terra orbits 2176 and 3341, were obtained by MISR's
vertical-viewing (nadir) camera. Compare the area just above and to
the right of the line of cumulus clouds in the May 15 image with the
same area imaged on August 3. The darkened burn scar measures
approximately 35 kilometers across. The Columbia River is seen
wending its way around the area, and the Snake River branches off to
the right.
According to Idaho's National Interagency Fire Center, the US has been
experiencing the worst fire season since 1996.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Science Team
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