English: The Mineral Fire ignited on July 13, 2020 west of Coalinga in Fresno County, California. It had expanded to 11,000 acres as of the morning of July 15 as high winds and low humidity created prime conditions for growth. The fire is burning in chaparral, tall grass, and timber, and has exhibited behavior described as “extreme”, with wind-driven uphill runs and short-range spotting. Short-range spotting occurs when a piece of burning wood, flaming sparks, or embers are carried by surface winds, leading to the ignition of new fires beyond the area of the main fire. The range of such spotting is usually less than 1/4 mile.

On July 15, the fire had been assessed as being only 5 percent contained, with evacuation orders in effect for all residents on Los Gatos Creek Rd. from Indian Springs to Union Carbide Rd. and the community of Bingham Springs. Local media in San Francisco, California reported that smoke from the Mineral Fire had reached the Bay area early on the morning of July 15. The National Weather Service advised that smoke would accumulate over the East Bay through the day until offshore breezes would blow it inland by that same evening.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the Mineral Fire on July 14. The red hot spots, each marking an area of high temperature as designated by the thermal sensors on the MODIS instrument, cluster on the edges of the burnt area where fresh fuel is available. Most of the heavy gray smoke rises nearly straight up from the fire.