Landsat

When the smoke clears, the story of a wildfire isn’t over. 🔥🛰️

It began with lightning. In July 2026, storms ignited multiple wildfires near Fossil, Oregon, that became the Rowe Creek Complex. What started as several areas of active fire grew across a landscape of grasslands, brush, and timber, ultimately burning nearly 374,000 acres.

Landsat 8 watched that story unfold from space. On July 17, several fires and their smoke plumes were visible across the landscape. Eight days later, large plumes stretched across the region as the fires continued to spread. By August 10, an extensive dark burn scar marked the landscape where the fires had burned.

That’s where another part of the story begins. The burn scar provides a record of the fire’s footprint that is mapped and studied. Landsat data help show where a fire burned most severely, how vegetation responds and recovers, and where the fire’s effects persist. Continued observations allow land managers and researchers to track changes across the landscape in the months and years that follow.

📸1: Landsat 8 image acquired July 17, 2026, showing several active fires and smoke plumes shortly after ignition.
📸2: Landsat 8 image acquired July 25, 2026, showing active fire fronts and large smoke plumes as the fires spread across the landscape.
📸3: Landsat 8 image acquired August 10, 2026, showing extensive dark burn scars across the landscape, with smoke still visible over parts of the affected area.

Credit: USGS

#Landsat #Wildfire #Oregon