File:Fires in southwestern United States (MODIS 2017-06-19).jpg

English: Summertime in the West brings high temperatures and dry conditions, setting the stage for fast fire ignition due to lightning strikes and rapid-fire growth. This summer is no exception. Several fires that began as lightning strikes have already spread in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of those states on June 15, 2017. Arizona sits in the west of the image and New Mexico in the east. Several fires can be seen burning across the region.

In Gila County, Arizona, the Highline Fire began on June 10 and the Bear Fire began with a lightning strike on June 1. The two fires merged on June 12 and were being managed as a single incident, with acres burned and percent containment reported as combined totals. According to infrared flight mapping the Highline Fire grew by 308 acres to 1,661 acres and the Bear Fire grew by 75 acres yesterday to 2,591 acres, for a total of 4,258 acres growth from June 14 – 15. Combined containment was at 35 percent for the combined fires. The cause of the Highline Fire is under investigation and the Bear Fire began with a lightning strike.

A lightning strike ignited the Frye Fire in Arizona on June 7 in the old burn scar of the 2004 Nuttall Complex Fire. On June 15, the fire was 961 acres in size and 16% contained. Firefighters were using an indirect strategy to confine and contain the fire within the previous burn scar, to provide firefighter safety from the numerous snags, rough terrain, and numerous downed logs.

In New Mexico, several fires were burning within the Gila National Forest. As of the date of the image, the Gravel Fire was 1,100 acres in size, the Teacher fire had consumed 325 acres, the Straw Fire was burning on 2,500 acres, the Corral Fire was 5,550 acres and the Round Fire had burned 2652 acres. The Gravel Fire started on June 9, the Teacher Fire on June 7, the Straw Fire on June 9, and the Round Fire on June 6 – all from lightning strikes. Continuing hot, dry, breezy conditions favor continued fire growth.