Fires on the Dampier Peninsula, Australia (IMAGE)
Caption
Geoscience Australia is showing a huge number of fires that have broken out over the last 48 hours in the Dampier Land region of Australia shown in this satellite image. The original incident was reported on Aug. 4, 2014, and the cause of the original blaze is unknown. The Department of Fire and Emergency (DFES) of Western Australia is managing the fire. There is no threat to lives or homes but there is a lot of smoke in the area. There is no immediate danger to people or structures at this time according to the DFES. The fire is burning in bushland near Country Downs Stations on the western side of Cape Leveque Road. It is currently moving fast in a westerly direction which is evidenced in the satellite image. The fire is reported as being out of control and unpredictable and has burned approximately 115,000 hectares (284,171 acres). There are no road closures at present in the area due to the fires. Firefighters from the Broome Bushfire Brigade and local rangers are actively fighting the fire north of the Country Downs Homestead on Cape Leveque Road.
This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite on Aug. 7, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red.
Credit
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner with information from DFES of Western Australia.
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