Australian fires: wrong maps and photos go viral – BBC News

The unprecedented mapping and imagery of Australia’s shrubs has spread across social media. They send users to raise awareness about destructive fires, but some viral maps are misleading, spreading misinformation about the crisis.
An image shared by Twitter users, including singer Rihanna, was interpreted as a map showing a direct spread of fire. Much of Australia’s coastline is filled with juicy, passionate reds. However, artist Anthony Hearsey saw the fire for a month to see location data, compiled by the Nasa Fire Information Resource Management System.

Australia is struggling through the busy seasons, driven by harsh temperatures and months of severe drought.

Since September, at least 25 people have been killed and thousands homeless.

More than 6.3 million hectares (63,000 square kilometers or 15.6 million hectares) have been burned so far – approximately one hectare is the size of a sports field.

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