Southern California is dealing with a series of massive wildfires that continued to rage until Friday, January 10, killing at least 10 people and injuring many others. According to the authorities, over 34.000 acres of land, on which thousands of people lived, have already been turned into ashes, affecting homes, businesses and vital infrastructure.
Satellite photos, provided by the company Maxar Technologies, revealed the extent of the fires and their impact on residential and commercial areas. A dramatic timelapse video shows the thick smoke produced by the Palisades fire, the largest of the five fires that are spreading rapidly in the region.
Since its outbreak on Tuesday morning (January 7), the Palisades fire has burned approximately 20.000 acres of land, becoming the most destructive fire ever recorded in the history of the city of Los Angeles. Despite the efforts of the firefighters, the fire was only 8% under control at the time of writing this article.
Satellite images also captured homes and businesses destroyed by flames along the Pacific Coast Highway, as well as the wake left in Malibu, where the Palisades fire wreaked havoc. In another set of photos, a neighborhood in Pacific Palisades can be seen before it was engulfed in flames, and then buildings are reduced to smoking ruins.
Satellite VIDEO of the Devastating Los Angeles Fires and the Destruction Caused
Another hard-hit area is the Altadena-Pasadena region, where the Eaton fire burned about 10.600 acres and was only 3 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Several buildings engulfed in flames under a dense cloud of smoke were captured in detail by the infrared sensors of the Maxar satellites, which allow hot spots to be detected even through dense smoke.
On January 9, the Eaton Fire spread to the base of Mount Wilson, endangering a complex of antennas and transmitters essential to local radio and television stations. The Mount Wilson Observatory, with its rich history of astronomical research, was also threatened on Thursday, but firefighters were able to prevent the flames from causing significant damage. “Our core crew at the Observatory is safe,” said Dan Kohne, the institution’s chief operating officer. “They may be exhausted, but they can now sleep peacefully.”
Firefighters also successfully intervened near NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), essential for planetary exploration missions. Although the JPL headquarters was not touched by the fire, according to the director of the laboratory, Laurie Leshin, about 150 employees lost their homes, and many others were forced to evacuate the area. The laboratory has been closed since the beginning of the week due to the risk posed by the Eaton fire.
Despite the massive interventions and the efforts of the firefighters, who fight against the flames fueled by strong winds and drought conditions, officials warn that the situation may remain critical in the following days. The intervention teams hope that the improvement of the weather conditions will help to control the fires, but they recommend the population to remain vigilant and to follow the evacuation instructions in case the fire comes dangerously close to inhabited areas.
