Fires in Southeast Australia and Tasmania

This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite shows multiple large bushfires in southeast Australia on January 12, 2003. Fires are marked with red. The heaviest concentration of fires is located in the Great Dividing Range Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park in southern New South Wales. Gusty winds and high temperatures have hampered containment efforts, and the smoke is beginning to pose a health hazard. Across the Bass Strait, a large fire is burning on Flinders Island. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC