Sunday, May 22, 2011
Horseshoe 2 fire seen from space station
This photo of the Horseshoe 2 fire in the Chiricahua Mountains was just posted on Spaceref.com. It was taken by the crew on the International Space Station on May 15. At that time the fire had burned approximately 8,900 hectares, or 22,110 acres. They report that the smoke plume extends to the east-northeast over a distance of at least 60 kilometers (approximately 40 miles). "As of May 19, 2011, the fire had burned an area of nearly 14,000 hectares (approximately 34,400 acres) of grasses, shrubs, and trees along the mountain slopes."
Willcox Playa is visible in the upper left. I was told the black smoke in the lower/southern portion of the burn is the location of Sulpher Draw which is reported as heavily charred. The whiter smoke is more typical of a less intense fire.