California’s raging wildfires are so big they can be seen from space, images show
Wildfires in California have grown so large that plumes of smoke can be seen in space, satellite images from NASA show.
Images show “smoke drifting roughly 600 miles” over the greater Bay Area, where two massive fires have burned about 226,100 acres, according to CNN. The pictures, also taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, show “much of the smoke is being sucked out into the Pacific Ocean,” CNN reported.
There are “367 known wildfires burning across California, including 23 that are considered major fires,” according to USA Today. The images from NOAA show at least 10 separate fires across the region, including in Napa and Sonoma counties and the Santa Cruz Mountains, SFGate reported.
The largest fires in the state as of Aug. 20 are the LNU and SCU Lightning Complex Fires, according to CNN. The SCU fire near San Jose is made up of 20 separate fires and burned at least 132 square miles as of Aug. 18, USA Today reported.
The fires have mostly been sparked by extreme heat and lightning storms, according to Newsweek. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency on Aug. 18, Newsweek reported.
