The Pic of the Day: California’s wildfires from space

Per NASA’s press release:

The six-day-old Camp Fire has already attained the unfortunate title of California’s deadliest fire. The Camp Fire has already led to 42 deaths with a number of residents still unaccounted for. It is also the most destructive in California history as well with over 7,000 structures destroyed by the blaze. The fire began on Nov. 08, 2018 and has grown to a staggering 125,000 acres in just under a week. The cause of this blaze is still under investigation. California state regulators are investigating two utility companies that reported incidents close in time and location to the start of the Camp fire. Over 52,000 people have been evacuated due to the Camp Fire in over 1,300 shelters. To date the blaze is only 30% contained.

Extremely dry fuels from on-going drought conditions in California remain coupled with rugged terrain and these two issues are presenting firefighters with challenging conditions. Dry conditions with high winds contribute to massive and fast fire growth. Presently the high winds have abated and fire growth has slowed. Responders from across the country have joined the effort from Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska.

See footage of the devestation left in the Camp Fire’s wake in the video below: