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MODIS-Detected Fires in NFIRS

# The U.S. Fire Administration Analysis

### Matching a Broader Base of More Precisely Located NFIRS Fires to MODIS Observations Within 1 Kilometer and 24 Hours at the National Level

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 Investigation of MODIS-Detected Fires in NFIRSFebruary 2021, 12 pages

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## Matching MODIS Incidents to NFIRS Incidents

Our analysis revealed that 1.1% of MODIS observations and 1.6% of MODIS incidents occurred within 24 hours and 1 kilometer of an NFIRS incident.

We grouped MODIS observations and NFIRS incidents and found a total of 1,212 fires consisting of 1,800 MODIS observations and 2,042 NFIRS incidents. Of these fires, 876 included only 1 MODIS observation apiece, and 1,345 NFIRS incidents in total. The remaining 336 fires included a total of 924 MODIS observations and 697 NFIRS incidents (Table 7).

### Table 7: MODIS-NFIRS Matches

| All Grouped Fires | 1,800 | 2,042 | 1,212 |
|-------------------|-------|-------|-------|
| 876               | 1,345 | 876   |
| 924               | 697   | 336   |

1,800 MODIS observations out of 162,093 matched at least 1 NFIRS incident, which produces a MODIS observation match rate of 1.1%. Another 1,212 MODIS incidents out of 77,054 matched at least 1 NFIRS incident, which produces a MODIS incident match rate of 1.6%.

The 2,042 NFIRS incidents that matched at least 1 MODIS observation (in All Grouped Fires in Table 6) included several incident types, suggesting that a fire detected by MODIS may be recorded as something other than a wildfire incident. Incident types 140-143 (Natural vegetation fire, other; Forest, woods or wildland fire; Brush or brush-and-grass mixture fire; Grass fire) and 561, 631 and 632 (Unauthorized burning; Authorized controlled burning; Prescribed fire) were more common among NFIRS incidents that matched MODIS observations than among all NFIRS incidents (Figure 3).

### Figure 3: Distribution of NFIRS Incident Types for MODIS Matches and for NFIRS, 2017

Show data in a table

##### Distribution of NFIRS Incident Types for MODIS Matches and for NFIRS, 2017

| 561: Unauthorized burning, 631: Authorized controlled burning, 632: Prescribed fire | 14% (285)     | 13% (166,716) |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------|---------------|
| 9% (180)                                                                            | 19% (243,454) |
| 16% (322)                                                                           | 7% (89,708)   |
| 23% (461)                                                                           | 8% (98,193)   |
| 13% (273)                                                                           | 2% (26,751)   |
| 4% (85)                                                                             | 2% (28,807)   |
| 3% (67)                                                                             | 12% (160,182) |
| 18% (369)                                                                           | 37% (486,601) |

Table may not total 100% due to rounding.

We also compared the NFIRS incidents that matched MODIS observations to the criteria that Butry and Thomas used to select their NFIRS incidents. Overall, only 701 of the 2,042 NFIRS incidents that matched 1 or more MODIS observations would have been included by Butry and Thomas' criteria. The figure below shows the number of matching NFIRS incidents by each criterion and the total indicates that number of matching NFIRS incidents that match at least 1 of them (Figure 4). Of the 701 matching incidents, 37 incidents matched 3 criteria, 224 incidents matched 2 criteria, and 440 incidents matched 1 criterion.

### Figure 4: Number of Matching NFIRS Incidents that Meet Butry and Thomas' Criteria

Show data in a table

##### Number of Matching NFIRS Incidents that Meet Butry and Thomas' Criteria

| Incident Type | 273 |
|---------------|-----|
| 358           |
| 74            |
| 47            |
| 247           |
| 701           |

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-  USFA Analysis (Observations to Incidents)
- USFA Analysis (Matching Incidents) (current page)
- USFA Analysis (Federal Lands) 

Page last reviewed: March 9, 2021

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