Waldo Canyon Fire scar viewed from space

What you are seeing above is the scar left by the Waldo Canyon Fire that ravaged 18,274 acres of land and destroyed nearly 350 homes, killing two people and forcing at least 32,000 residents to evacuate. The photo was taken by NASA’s Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on July 4. During that day, 90 percent of the wildfire had been already contained. The red color represents the land covered by vegetation while the brown color reveals the exact coverage area of the wildfire. Light brown areas represent slight burning  while the bright red patches of vegetation near Colorado Springs are golf courses, parks, and other irrigated land. The Waldo Canyon Fire was first reported on June 23, 2012 and it is considered as the most destructive wildfire to ever hit Colorado. The Denver Post estimates that the total damages caused by the wildfire could go up to more than $110 million.