File:A Big Fire on the Big Island of Hawai'i (MODIS 2021-08-03).jpg

English: On July 30, 2021, a blaze was spotted on Mana Highway outside of Waimea in South Kohala, on the “Big Island” of Hawai’i. Called a “runaway fire” by local media, by August 2 the wind-fanned flames had burnt more than 40,000 acres and destroyed at least two homes. The Mayor of Big Island, Mitch Roth, was quoted as saying, “It’s the biggest (fire) we’ve ever had on this island”.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the South Kohala fire on August 2. Red “hot spots” mark each area where the thermal bands on the instrument detected high temperatures. Heavy tan-tinged smoke pours from the fire and blows to the southwest over the North Pacific Ocean.

As of the evening of August 2, evacuation orders had been lifted for most of the area although shelters remained open. Firefighters have made headway on containment, but officials warned that wind and other weather conditions could change the status of the fire at any time.