SPOT 5 and FORMOSAT-2 train their sights on forest fires south of Valparaiso, Chile

 
The SPOT 5 and FORMOSAT-2 satellites were tasked to assess the impact of forest fires that recently raged across hills overlooking tourist spots south of Valparaiso, Chile.

2 March, several fires started in the forest around the port of Quintay, a popular tourist village south of Valparaiso. The whole area was soon under red alert, particularly the 280,000 people living in Valparaiso. The fire spread in a north-westerly direction and was brought under control on the evening of 9 March. 
 

Chilean authorities were looking for a rapid mapping tool to conduct post-fire damage assessment and identify buildings in the burnt area. 

 

At the request of the member agencies of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, Spot Image tasked two satellites to acquire complementary imagery in response to the Chilean authorities’ precise requirements. Two images were supplied: one from FORMOSAT-2 acquired 8 March, and one from SPOT 5 acquired 9 March. 
 

Impact of the fire
The two infrared spectral bands in the SPOT 5 image show the fire extent (dark patch) and highlight parts of the forest within the burnt area that were unscathed (red streaks inside dark patch).

Buildings inside burnt area
The natural-colour FORMOSAT-2 image outlines the fire extent (yellow line) and identifies hillside detached housing (clear blue). These two layers of information are overlaid on the image in a GIS to reveal buildings affected by the fire. 

 
 

The SPOT 5 and FORMOSAT-2 satellites quickly delivered two types of complementary data: the impact of the fires on the forest and a census of affected buildings. The Chilean authorities’ requirement for a rapidly available disaster management tool was met.