On June 6, 2010 lightning ignited the Medano Fire in Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Here the glow from the flames is reflected in a shallow stream with the white dunes in the background. By the time this image was taken on June 23 more than 5000 acres had burned. Firefighters used a containment strategy in order to reduce risk for firefighters. NCAR scientists are studying wildfires in order to forecast fire-weather interactions, assess emissions, and understand the social impacts.
