Site map . This is one in a series of science images we began presenting in July of 1999. Some are current, some are historic. Each tells a story. If you see a great Science Snapshot, or if you've taken one of your own, e-mail us the url.
Smoke shows as blue haze.
Northern California continues to battle nine large fires and has requested assistance from the military to convert two C-130 aircraft into airtankers, which were activated Wednesday from the 146th Airlift Wing from Port Hueneme in California. Thursday, Gov. Gray Davis declared fire emergencies in four Northern California counties and ordered the California National Guard to help battle the blazes. Many of the fires have been out of control since last weekend, most of them started by lightning. In the city of Redding, located in the northern Sacramento Valley, residents were warned to stay indoors, and schools canceled football practices as a thick haze choked the region. As of Wednesday there were 29 large fires burning in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington for a total of 121,847 acres.