The Southern California wildfires are now so expansive that you can see them from the space. Travel + Leisure reported that NASA data visualization and cartography lead Joshua Stevens has posted a satellite photo of the fires from space, which shows just how far they have spread.
The devastating fires have destroyed an area larger than New York City and Boston combined, according to CNN, and the Santa Ana winds have been making them worse. The Thomas Fire, which started in Ventura County and is currently moving across Santa Barbara County, is the largest one at 234,000 acres. It's the fifth-largest fire in the modern history of California.
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Why the SoCal Fires are So Fierce, Q&A with @avoiland and a @NASAJPL scientist studying wildland fires: https://t.co/XYWo8TbtDS #ThomasFire pic.twitter.com/IRavNPMNuA
— Joshua Stevens (@jscarto) December 11, 2017
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said at least 95,000 people have evacuated so far as a result of the fires. Cal Fire said about 25,000 homes have been threatened by five wildfires and over 1,000 structures have been destroyed. Nearly 9,000 firefighters, including many from states outside California, have tackled the blazes. Only about 20% of the Thomas Fire has been contained as of Tuesday morning, according to CNN.
Last week, new NOAA/NASA nighttime satellite photos were released of the wildfires spreading.
Nighttime satellite imagery clearly highlights the explosive growth of the #ThomasFire in #SoCal (comparison from the night before). Latest estimates have it at 31,000 acres. #CAFire #cawx pic.twitter.com/BcZ6P62USD
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) December 5, 2017
If you want to help those who have been affected by the fires, you can choose from several organizations that are taking donations of money and supplies. Check out our guide here.
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