According to news reports from the Montreal Gazette, more than 80 lightning-triggered fires were burning across Quebec province in Canada on June 2, 2005. As many as 18 of the fires were burning out of control. Throughout the region, hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes as a precaution, and vehicles were being escorted in convoys along sections of highways that were closed due to smoke.
This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA�s Aqua satellite shows several large blazes to the east of James Bay (upper left) on June 1, 2005. Areas where MODIS detected active fires have been outlined in red.
The high-resolution version of the image is at MODIS� maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The image spans an area from James Bay in the west to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in the east.Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC