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More photos and update on California’s Rim Fire

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August 28, 2013

August 29 View from space: California Rim Fire update

August 28, 2013 4 a.m. CDT (9 UTC): California’s Rim Fire is now said to be 20% contained; that’s slightly better than yesterday. There are now 184,481 acres burned, and 4,081 firefighters battling the blaze according to Inciweb. NASA has released more photos of the fire, which yesterday was said to be the 11th largest in California’s history. The fire is threatening the western edge of Yosemite National Park, a beautiful and beloved area and also home to San Francisco’s water supply. NASA released the top image most recently: the fire at night over a period of days. The other images are from the past several days, showing the awesome power of this drought-fueled fire.

View larger. | California's Rim Fire from August 23 to 26, 2013 as seen by NASA's Suomi NPP satellite. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS day-night band data. — View larger. | California’s Rim Fire from August 23 to 26, 2013 as seen by NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS day-night band data.

Map via Google and Inciweb as of August 28, 2013 at 5 UTC (midnight CDT). See Inciweb for up to date information. — Map via Google and Inciweb as of August 28, 2013 at 5 UTC (midnight CDT). At this writing, the fire is said to be 20% contained. See Inciweb for up to date information.

NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of the Rim Fire on August 22, 2013. Red outlines indicate hot spots where the satellite's instruments detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fires. Winds blew a thick smoke plume toward the northeast. A smaller fire—American fire—burned to the north. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. — NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of the Rim Fire on August 22, 2013. Red outlines indicate hot spots where the satellite’s instruments detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fires. Winds blew a thick smoke plume toward the northeast. A smaller fire—American fire—burned to the north. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response.

Rim Fire burning at night on August 21. Image via NASA.

Bottom line: As of August 28, the Rim Fire in central California is said to be 20% contained. Thousands of firefighters are still battling the blaze, which has burned at least 184,481 acres on the western side of Yosemite National Park.

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August 28, 2013

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.