Forest fires,Algeria,August 2007,satellite image. North is at top. The fires are in the coastal forests of the Atlas Mountains of northern Algeria (along bottom),and smoke (grey) from the fires is billowing north across the Mediterranean. The smoke was thick enough to cover the capital city of Algiers. Several people died in the fires,and many more suffered respiratory and allergy problems. The fires were under control by the end of August as cooler weather arrived. Clouds (white) are at upper left and lower right,while the Balearic Islands (upper left) and Sardinia (top right) are also seen. This image,covering an area some 700 kilometres across,was obtained on 29 August 2007,by the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite |