image: The massive Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire continues burning and rugged terrain in the Gila National Forest in western New Mexico and generating a lot of smoke as seen by NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites. Smoke advisories are in effect throughout the region and the state. This image of smoke and fire from the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire was taken on May 28, 2012, at 20:55 UTC (4:55 p.m. EDT) from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. The heat from the fires is outlined in red in the image, and the smoke from the fires appear light brown in color. There are now mandatory evacuations for the community of Mogollon, and road/trail/area closures on the Gila National Forest. For more information visit the Gila National Forest website: www.fs.usda.gov/gila. As of May 29, the US Forest Service reported that 152,012 acres have been burned by the fire. The fire began on May 9 from a lightning strike. view more
Credit: Image: NASA Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Text: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Rob Gutro