On February 22, 2026, a wildland fire was discovered in Big Cypress National Preserve, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Naples, Florida. The blaze, dubbed the National fire, moved through dry vegetation and sent a plume of smoke billowing over parts of the preserve and nearby communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0MODIS<\/a>\u00a0(Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA\u2019s\u00a0Aqua<\/a>\u00a0satellite captured this image on the afternoon of February 25. By then, the fire had burned around 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares), according to the National Park Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n After carrying smoke southward in previous days, winds<\/a> shifted to start pushing it north by the time Aqua captured this image. According to news reports, the smoke reduced visibility<\/a> and led to the brief closure<\/a> of I-75\u2014the interstate nicknamed \u201cAlligator Alley\u201d that runs east-west through the northern part of the preserve. It also contributed to smog over Lake Okeechobee<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The fire continued to spread over the next several days, reaching just over 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) by February 28, according to InciWeb<\/a>. As of March 2, it remained roughly the same size and was 38 percent contained.\u00a0<\/p>\n The fire\u2019s cause remains under investigation. Officials noted<\/a>, however, that its spread was driven by ample fuel<\/a>, including vegetation that was dry from persistent, extreme drought<\/a> and damaged by recent frost. The National Interagency Fire Center\u2019s wildland fire outlook<\/a> calls for above-normal fire potential across Florida through May.<\/p>\n NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA\u00a0EOSDIS LANCE<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0GIBS\/Worldview<\/a>. Story by Kathryn Hansen.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/smoke-rises-over-big-cypress-national-preserve\/floridafire_amo_20260225_lrg.jpg?w=1979&h=1649&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
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