Satellite images show the massive scale of destruction caused by massive, fast-moving wildfires that were still raging in Southern California as of Friday (January 10). The wildfire has killed at least 10 people, injured many more and burned more than 34,000 acres of land home to thousands of people. of homes and businesses.
The time-lapse video above shows smoke billowing from the wind-driven Coastal Palisades Fire in the lower left. It is the largest of five fast-moving wildfires in Southern California. This particular wildfire has ravaged nearly 20,000 acres since it started. Tuesday morning it caught fire (January 7) It became the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history. As of this writing, the Palisade fire is 8% contained.
Another major fire, the Eaton Fire, can be seen devastating Altadena, Pasadena, at top right. The fire has burned about 10,600 acres and is currently only 3% contained, fire officials said. California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. Colorado-based Maxar Technologies filmed several buildings actively burning in smoke from the fire. Maxar Technologies’ satellite is equipped with infrared sensors that can detect fire spots on the ground through thick smoke.
Another set of images captures the smoldering aftermath of homes burned along Pacific Coast Highway and the remains of Malibu homes as the Palisades fire recedes.
The Eaton Fire spread to the base of Mount Wilson on Thursday (January 9). temporarily threatening Numerous transmitters and antennas used in TV and radio station communications relax At the historic Mount Wilson Observatory.
Firefighters had the fire under control by Thursday evening, and no damage to infrastructure was reported. “All of the observatory’s core crew members are safe,” said Dan Corne, the observatory’s chief operating officer. new york times. “They may be exhausted, but now they can sleep through the night.”
Los Angeles launches from @Space_Station. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this. This is a view looking south from San Francisco north towards LA and San Diego. pic.twitter.com/cDt973QvhuJanuary 10, 2025
Firefighters also observed this. Don’t let the deadly flames reach you Laurie Leshin, director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said Friday: X. JPL, the space agency’s leading center for robotic planetary exploration with many high-profile missions, is located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Los Angeles. closed Due to the Eaton fire since earlier this week.
“@NASAJPL was unaffected by the fire thanks to the brave dedication of our first responders,” Leshin said in the post. “But our community has been very significantly impacted, with more than 150 JPL employees displaced and many more displaced.”
“We will soon be sending our staff an update on our plans for next week. We ask for your patience as we work to bring the lab back online,” she added.
Firefighters continue to battle the blaze unsatisfactorily, and dry conditions in the fire area, combined with strong winds, could continue to complicate firefighting efforts into next week, officials said. CNN.
