Fire Danger Extreme in New South Wales

Fire Danger Extreme in New South Wales

News reports from New South Wales, Australia, indicate that fire danger is high across the region and that as of October 7, 2002, 70 fires were burning across the state—20 of which were out of control. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image was acquired by Aqua MODIS on October 8, 2002, and shows numerous fires (red dots) and heavy smoke, especially near the coast between Brisbane and Sydney (Sydney’s metropolitan area makes a brown clearing amid green vegetation at the bottom center of the image). The fires burning in Sydney’s suburbs have already destroyed multiple homes.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC