image: As Spain experiences a heatwave with temperatures soaring over 100 Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) dry conditions are creating fire hazards. Several fires in Spain's Valencia region on the east coast are raging, and their smoke plumes were seen by NASA satellite. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard Terra has infrared capabilities that can detect heat from the various wildfires. The image was captured on July 2, 2012, at 18:10 UTC (2:10 p.m. EDT). In the MODIS images, fires, or hot spots are color coded as red areas in imagery and smoke appears in light brown. Images are generated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. According to Reuters news, more than 2,000 people were evacuated from the Valencia region of eastern Spain as forest fires burned in the region. One fire is located in Cortes de Palla and started during the installation of solar panels on a home, according to Agence France-Presse. Another fire is located in Andilla. As many as 111,200 acres have been burned in two different fires. The fires were located about 18 miles (30 kilometers) west of Valencia on Spain's eastern coast. view more
Credit: Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team; Caption: Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center