Cooler weather helped the firefighters who were battling the bushfires ravaging New South Wales, Australia, but dozens of fires were still burning in the Blue Mountains on October 24, 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image at 2:55 p.m. local time (3:55 Universal Time) on October 24. Red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fire. Large plumes of smoke were blowing east from the State Mine fire, Howes Swamp fire, and Hungerford Creek fire. Though smaller and now under control, the Linksview Road fire destroyed 193 homes, according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
References & Resources
- The Guardian (2013, October 24) Bushfires ease, giving New South Wales firefighters the upper hand. Accessed October 25, 2013.
- The Australian (2013, October 24) Defence caused State Mine fire. Accessed October 25, 2013.
- Climate Central (2013, October 23) Australia’s Bushfires and the Role of Climate Change. Accessed October 25, 2013.
- New South Wales Rural Fire Service (2013, October 25) Current fires and incidents. Accessed October 25, 2013.
- New South Wales Rural Fire Service (2013, October 25) Major Fire Updates. Accessed October 25, 2013.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Adam Voiland.
