Fires in California
Several lightning-caused fires are burning in Californias Sierra Nevada Mountains in early autumn, andare pictured here in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)image from September 27, 2003. For the most part these fires are being allowed to burn in an effort to promote the long-term health of the forests byallowing fire to take its place in the natural cycle of the regions forests. Several fires are burning in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains, nearYosemite. According to local news reports, the fires in the park were originally being permitted to burn within a specified acreage, but over theweekend they grew larger than park managers were comfortable with, and additional firefighters were called in to battle the blazes.