Wildfire is a natural part of Earth's environment; sparked in most cases by lightning strikes and occasionally by volcanic eruptions. Wildfires consume a million or more square kilometers per year. Humans also start many fires-sometimes accidentally, but mostly deliberately. Fire is a tool used in agriculture to clear croplands and help return nutrients to the soil. Prescribed fires clear away dead and dying vegetation to help rejuvenate forests and reduce the risk of larger, uncontrolled wildfires. Fire is also a tool people use to help clear away forests for human developments. Annually, humans burn anywhere from 750,000 to 8.2 million square km of forest and grassland around the world. The NASA satellite images in this section show the time, place and extent of selected active fires around the world. Visit the MODIS Land Science Team's Fire Rapid Response page to see the global-scale composite images of fires around the world. Check out our related links for Fires.

Latest Fires Events

	Fires: Fires in Oregon and Northern California A handful of large fires were burning in Oregon and Northern California as fall approached in September 2008. 2 Images, Updated: September 19, 2008
	Fires: Fires in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa In late August and early September 2008, widespread fires in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa poured smoke out of the Indian Ocean. 4 Images, Updated: September 11, 2008
	Fires: Fire in the Kalahari A large fire was burning near the western border of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana in late August 2008. 1 Image, Posted: August 29, 2008
	Fires: Fires in Central South America Hundreds of agricultural or land-clearing fires were burning in central South America on August 26, 2008. 1 Image, Posted: August 28, 2008
	Fires: Fires in Idaho A handful of wildfires sprang up in Idaho in the third week of August 2008, affecting hundreds of acres in forests and wilderness areas west of the Bitterroot Range Mountains. 1 Image, Posted: August 20, 2008
	Fires: Bushfires in Northern Territory, Australia Numerous large bushfires were burning in the tropical savannas of Arnhem Land, in Northern Territory, Australia, in mid-August 2008. 1 Image, Posted: August 19, 2008
	Fires: Fires in California "Dry" thunderstorms triggered hundreds of fires in California on the first day of summer 2008. In Northern California, fires continued to burn in August. 27 Images, Updated: August 15, 2008
	Fires: Forest Fire in Southern Turkey A forest fire raged in southern Turkey in early August 2008. 1 Image, Posted: August 04, 2008
	Fires: Forest Fire Scorches Island of Rodos Over the last weekend of July 2008, a large forest fire on the Greek island Rodos (Rhodes) forced hundreds of tourists to evacuate. 1 Image, Posted: July 29, 2008
	Fires: Fires in Central Canada Thick smoke poured from fires in north-central Canada in June and July 2008. 2 Images, Updated: July 28, 2008

Natural Hazards Home | Fires Archive | Fires Related Links | Section FAQ | Recommend this Page