Featured Image

Fires in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia

Residents of Molesworth, Tasmania, Australia are bracing for some rough days ahead. A fresh spate of bushfires is threatening homes in the area due to high winds that are driving the fires in their direction. High temperatures and dry conditions across much of Australia are to blame for the many bushfires that have roared up over the last few weeks. Another problem is the location of the wildfires, in very rough and inaccessible terrain. Only water-bombing helicopters can reach these fires.

February is traditionally the worst month for fires in Australia and this year looks no different. Meanwhile in Victoria, Australia several other bushfires are blazing unabated near Alpine National Park. Lighter winds on Friday, the 8th should be able to slow fire activity so that the blazes can be fought more effectively. Currently there is no threat to property.

This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on February 07, 2013. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Lynn Jenner.