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.
The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite 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.
After carrying smoke southward in previous days, winds shifted to start pushing it north by the time Aqua captured this image. According to news reports, the smoke reduced visibility and led to the brief closure of I-75—the interstate nicknamed “Alligator Alley” that runs east-west through the northern part of the preserve. It also contributed to smog over Lake Okeechobee.
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. As of March 2, it remained roughly the same size and was 38 percent contained.
The fire’s cause remains under investigation. Officials noted, however, that its spread was driven by ample fuel, including vegetation that was dry from persistent, extreme drought and damaged by recent frost. The National Interagency Fire Center’s wildland fire outlook calls for above-normal fire potential across Florida through May.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen.
References & Resources
- Big Cypress National Preserve (2026, February 27) News Releases. Accessed March 2, 2026.
- Gulf Coast News (2026, February 26) Alligator Alley reopens following smoke-related closure from Big Cypress National Preserve fire. Accessed March 2, 2026.
- Gulf Coast News (2026, February 26) Smoke from Big Cypress National Preserve fire shuts down Alligator Alley. Accessed March 2, 2026.
- Lake Okeechobee News (2026, February 27) Smoke from Big Cypress Preserve wildfire results in smog over Lake Okeechobee. Accessed March 2, 2026.
- National Integrated Drought Information System (2026, February 24) Florida. Accessed March 2, 2026.
- National Interagency Coordination Center (2026, March 2) Outlooks. Accessed March 2, 2026.
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