MSGID: 1:317/3 62e02bd3   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   July 26, 2022 - Smoke from the Oak Fire, Mariposa County, California   
      
      California Fires   
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      On July 22, 2022, a spark in tinder-dry vegetation near the town of   
      Midpines, California ignited into an explosive blaze that has seared   
      through grass, brush, and timber to become—in just three days—the   
      largest fire in the state this year. On the evening of July 25, CALFIRE   
      reported that the fire had burned 17,241 acres and had reached 16   
      percent containment. The fire also destroyed 21 single resident   
      structures and 34 outbuildings. Midpines is a town of about 1,200   
      residents in Mariposa County, a Central California county in the Sierra   
      Nevada foothills.   
      
      After initial explosive growth, with embers traveling more than a   
      half-mile, CALFIRE summarized firefighting efforts on July 25 as   
      “successful”, with minimal additional growth of the fire. Helicopters   
      dropped 300,000 gallons of water on the fire on that day, and crews   
      continued to construct fire lines to help control growth. The fire is   
      reported to be moving towards the northeast, with spread slowed   
      primarily to the eastern side of the fire. More than 2,400 structures   
      are still considered at risk, and evacuation orders are in place in   
      rural and residential locations in the path of the blaze. Thanks to   
      firefighting efforts, some evacuation orders were changed to   
      advisements, which are not mandatory.   
      
      On July 24, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of   
      the Oak Fire as smoke poured from the blaze. The dense smoke stretched   
      more than 245 miles (394 km) northward over the Sierra Nevada   
      Mountains, nearly reaching Mount Shasta in Northern California. A large   
      red “hot spot” marks actively burning fire.   
      
      Only 12 miles east of the Oak Fire, another difficult fire ignited on   
      July 7. Known as the Washburn Fire, the blaze had threatened the   
      Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. The Washburn Fire had burnt 4,866   
      acres but, after aggressive firefighting, reached 87 percent   
      containment on July 25. At that time, fire activity was low enough that   
      fire crews focused on “mopping up” activities. According to InciWeb,   
      mopping up occurs as firefighters seek out the remaining portions of   
      heat near the control lines and extinguish them. This operation is   
      critical to ensure all control lines are secure before firefighters are   
      extracted by helicopter from the more remote portions of the fire.   
      
      While smoke from the Washburn fire undoubtedly mingles with the heavier   
      plume created by the Oak Fire, the contribution seems to be small.   
      There is also no visible hot spot to mark the location of the Washburn   
      Fire, suggesting that most fire activity has been quenched.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 7/24/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (373.1 KB),  500m (368.6 KB),  250m (1.1 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-07-26   
       
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