23 August 2007

Australian Fire Activity: 9 -18 August 2007

Below is the 10-day composite hotspot information from the MODIS instruments on board NASA satellite. Dates of the composite are 9-18 August 2007. Discussion after the image.

My subjective interpretation -- significant regions of fire

  • Kimberley region – fires noted in last discussion have really blown up during this period. See image below. This is from a few days after the composite. Those fires have grown considerably over the last 10 days or so...They appear to be moving generally northward, which suggests they may go out soon, as they are running into the sea...News reports suggest these fires were deliberately lit.

  • Dampier Peninsula – north of Broome. These fires have also expanded quite a bit. News reports have also suggested these fires were deliberately lit. Also visible on image below.

  • Pilbara – few fires inland from Port Hedland.

  • Cape York Peninsula – I believe these fires are mainly the result of aerial fuel reduction burns

  • Arnhem Land – these are mostly out now...

  • NE NSW – some moderate fires there. The really bad ones noted earlier have been brought under control.. The whole area has received up to 2-3 inches of rain. This will probably damp any fire activity...I suspect most of the individual spots are due to agricultural burnings.


Fires seem to have definitely passed a peak in the Top End of NT. Recent NAFI hotspots are much reduced in number and more 'spotty' than previous.


There are a few large fires flaring up near Tennant Creek. These look fairly large on hotspot imagery, and are near where previous fires have burnt this season.

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