As the South Australian bushfire raged for a sixth day, two images from NASA show the damage to the land in the Adelaide Hills.
One of the images was captured by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite and posted to the NASA website on Jan. 3. The other has been shared on social media.
At least 550 firefighters are trying to control the blaze that has already destroyed 38 houses and injured 134 people, according to ABC News. As temperatures soar, but with showers looking likely in the next few days, the Country Fire Service is attempting to get the upper hand after days of battling the fire.
NASA's shot of the fire is in stark contrast to an image shared by NASA's Twitter account on the same day of the U.S. west coast, which was covered in snow.
Much of the US West entered 2015 under a blanket of snow, seen here by our Terra spacecraft: http://t.co/ddkwWXQNSt pic.twitter.com/6LtKwck8Q6— NASA (@NASA) January 3, 2015
Bushfires are common in Australia during the summer months as the hot, dry and windy conditions prompt spreading. However, in recent years, hotter temperatures have led to more destructive fires, as has increased development near areas that are prone to such blazes. Climate science shows that global warming will exacerbate fires, making large bushfires more frequent and severe. Last year was the third warmest on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's annual report, with nine of the 10 warmest summers on record occurring since 2002.