image: Fires are not always bad. Many of the fires in this image taken on March 11, 2015 are prescribed fires, meaning that they have been set deliberately in order to reduce the risk of bushfires spreading. A fire that can be set and carefully controlled can burn away the detritus and undergrowth that might, in other circumstances, cause a bushfire to rage out of control. Some of the fires in this image are bushfires, but the majority are prescribed fires that will hopefully stop other bushfires from spreading.
This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on March 11, 2015. 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