English: Multiple fires were burning along the crest of the Cascade Mountains in mid-September, 2017. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on September 15.

Each red hot spot marks an area where the thermal bands on the instrument detected temperatures higher than background. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively burning fire. The fires burn from northern Washington, south through Oregon to northern California.

The forests of the western United States are at risk for wildfire each summer. Rainfall tends to be low during the summer and insect damage to trees contribute to creating dangerous fire conditions. Conditions this summer have been exceptionally hot and dry and fires have plagued the Cascades.