On January 6, 2016, lightning triggered the Waroona fire in the Lane Poole Reserve of Western Australia. The blaze spread rapidly, moving southwest until it overran Yarloop, a small town about 120 kilometers south of Perth. In the process, the fire destroyed 162 homes and 18 other structures, including bridges and community buildings, according to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Two Yarloop residents were killed and four firefighters were injured. In all, the fire charred more than 69,000 hectares (276 square miles).
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra satellite acquired this false-color view of the burn scar on January 16, 2016. Unburned vegetation appears red; burned vegetation appears brown. Buildings, roads, and other developed areas appear light gray and white.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using data from NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Adam Voiland.