New Image of Raging California Wildfires

Image credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response

NASA satellites continue to capture remarkable new images of the wildfires raging in Southern California. At least 14 massive fires are reported to have scorched about 425 square miles from north of Los Angeles to southeast of San Diego.

These latest images, captured by NASA satellites on the afternoon of October 22, show the thick, billowing smoke coming off the numerous large fires and spreading over the Pacific Ocean. Fire activity is outlined in red.

Dry, drought-stricken vegetation and Santa Ana winds, which can reach hurricane speeds, have contributed to the devastating effect of these blazes. The National Interagency Fire Center reports that the Santa Ana winds are expected to continue through Wednesday.

According to news reports, almost 700 homes have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate.

Today, President Bush issued an emergency declaration for seven California counties, ordering federal disaster relief to the area.

Source: NASA

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Posted by Reaper6971 10/23/07 16:25

Rank: 2/5 after 1 vote

And WHY can't we do controlled burns to help mitigate the chance of something like this happening?

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Posted by weewilly 10/23/07 20:37

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These fires are terrible and exactly what can be done about it, is up for comment. We can watch the results from space and predict when the winds will stop their fanning of the flames but there is little else that can be done. Why? How come with the many great minds we have out there can't someone come up with a feasible common sense approach, to eliminating this epic event from happening again and again. Reducing the fuel needed to sustain a fire could be one consideration but that is being done right now as I type this. Someone out there has to have some ideas.