File:Wildfires in California (MODIS 2018-07-31).jpg

English: The 2018 wildfire season has been brutal in the western United States, with blazes burning more acres than average through the end of July. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of heavy smoke and several fires burning in Northern California.

Extremely heavy smoke billows from the Carr Fire, which is burning in Shasta County near Redding, California. The fire ignited on July 23 amid warm, dry conditions. By July 30, it had burned 98,724 acres and was just 20 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. News reports noted that shifting, gusty winds and a lack of rain in the forecast could worsen the situation.

To the east and slightly south of the Carr Fire another fire burns in forest off Whaleback Mountain and Antelope Valley Road west of Spaulding, in Lassen County. Known as the Whaleback Fire, it ignited on July 27 and has burned 14,098 acres with only 20% containment as of July 30.

In the southwest, the Ranch and the River fires add additional smoke to the atmosphere. The Ranch Fire, the northern-most of the pair, ignited on July 27 northeast of Ukiah. As of July 30, the fire had scorched 45,076 acres and was just 5% contained, according to CalFire. The River Fire also started on July 27, but started a bit further south, in Hopland. CalFire reported that this fire was only 5% contained as of July 20, with 23,411 acres burned. The River Fire and Ranch Fire have been combined for management purposes and are referred to as the Mendocino Complex.

The fires in this image are only a small snapshot of the current fire situation in the western United States. As of July 30, the National Interagency Fire Center reported 98 large fires active across the United States, with 1.2 million acres scorched. California reported nine major fires; Colorado, 13; Arizona, 10; and Oregon reporting 16.