Bushfires in Western Australia (IMAGE) NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Caption On Feb. 1, 2015, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite acquired this image of a large bushfire burning near the town of Northcliffe in Western Australia. Red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fire. As of February 2, the fire had charred 20,000 hectares (70 square miles). According to media reports, local fire authorities considered Northcliffe "undefendable" and have urged residents to evacuate. Credit NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland. Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.