Photographed using the Aqua satellite’s fire detection equipment,
On the 25th, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released an image of the Korean Peninsula, clearly showing large smoke plumes from wildfires. Provided by NASA,
,
, ‘With the large wildfire that began on the 21st spreading across the country, NASA has released satellite images showing large plumes of white smoke rising from several areas in Korea.’,
,
, ‘On the 25th, NASA posted on its official website a photo taken by the Aqua satellite, which orbits Earth at an altitude of 700 km, under the title “Fires in South Korea.” The satellite photo was taken using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), a special device mounted on the satellite that can detect wildfires. The actual photo was taken on the 23rd.’,
,
, ‘NASA stated, “Smoke from large fires is observed,” adding, “Particularly, large smoke columns were generated in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, and Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang Province.” In the released satellite image, white smoke can be seen extending across the peninsula from west to east, centered around the two regions mentioned by NASA. NASA noted, “Korean authorities have issued strong wind advisories for several areas and recommended against burning trash or other materials.”’,
,
, ‘Currently, the wildfire damage situation has worsened since the Aqua satellite photos were taken. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, as of 6 a.m. on the 27th, there were 26 fatalities, 8 with serious injuries, and 22 with minor injuries. As of 5 a.m. on the same day, 37,185 residents had been evacuated.’,
,
, ‘The affected forest area is estimated at 36,009 hectares, exceeding the worst-recorded wildfire damage of 23,794 hectares in the 2000 East Coast wildfires by more than 10,000 hectares.’