Utah Cottonwood Wildfires Burn About 390 Square Kilometers: One Look at the Satellite Comparison Shows the Scorched Area.
NASA Earth Observatory 2026-07-08: Landsat (USGS) false-color comparison—before the fire on 2026-06-05, and after the fire on 2026-06-29; unburned vegetation appears as brighter green, while scorched patches spread across the landscape. As of July 7, the affected area was about 150 square miles (about 390 square kilometers). At the time, among the active wildfires across the United States, it was only slightly smaller than Babylon in the same state. According to statements from the state forestry department to the media: up to about 150 structures were damaged. Regarding the Eagle Point ski resort, officials said more than 100 apartment buildings and 30 cabins were damaged, and 4 out of 5 chairlifts were destroyed. NASA FEDS (VIIRS) tracking shows that between June 23, within about 12 hours, the burned area expanded by about three times.
Newsweek 2026-07-09 restates the same set of key numbers from Landsat and EO; the NIFC subsequent situation report figure is about 97,464 acres (about 152 square miles).
Image: NASA EO / Michala Garrison, Landsat 8/9 before-and-after + FEDS boundary overview.
Data as of: NASA EO 2026-07-08; imagery 2026-06-05 / 06-29; Newsweek 2026-07-09; NIFC subsequent area figure
#NASA #Earth observation
NASA Earth Observatory 2026-07-08: Landsat (USGS) false-color comparison—before the fire on 2026-06-05, and after the fire on 2026-06-29; unburned vegetation appears as brighter green, while scorched patches spread across the landscape. As of July 7, the affected area was about 150 square miles (about 390 square kilometers). At the time, among the active wildfires across the United States, it was only slightly smaller than Babylon in the same state. According to statements from the state forestry department to the media: up to about 150 structures were damaged. Regarding the Eagle Point ski resort, officials said more than 100 apartment buildings and 30 cabins were damaged, and 4 out of 5 chairlifts were destroyed. NASA FEDS (VIIRS) tracking shows that between June 23, within about 12 hours, the burned area expanded by about three times.
Newsweek 2026-07-09 restates the same set of key numbers from Landsat and EO; the NIFC subsequent situation report figure is about 97,464 acres (about 152 square miles).
Image: NASA EO / Michala Garrison, Landsat 8/9 before-and-after + FEDS boundary overview.
Data as of: NASA EO 2026-07-08; imagery 2026-06-05 / 06-29; Newsweek 2026-07-09; NIFC subsequent area figure
#NASA #Earth observation
