Shortly after the fires started, satellites passing over Southern California began watching the blazes develop.
This view is from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite. It shows Ventura County, which is about a 1.5-hour drive northwest of Los Angeles, on December 5.
Brown shows the burn scar (center), green shows plants, gray shows urban areas, and orange shows active fires.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory
The smoke from the wildfires wafted over the Pacific Ocean for hundreds of miles.
NASA's Terra satellite shows the Thomas fire in Ventura County on the afternoon of December 5.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory
Astronaut Randy Bresnik also began taking photographs as the Thomas fire developed and new blazes broke out.
Source: Randy Bresknik/Twitter
From his perch aboard the International Space Station, which orbits Earth about 250 miles high, Bresnik caught these incredible views on December 7.
Source: Randy Bresknik/Twitter
North is toward the left in this photo, and it shows multiple fires and their extensive smoke trails. Even blazes in Mexico (right) are visible.
Source: Randy Bresknik/Twitter
NASA used its Suomi NPP satellite, which can see in near-infrared, to record this animation of the Ventura fires over five nights, from December 4-8.
White shows the fires chewing through the landscape and buildings and growing in extent.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory
DigitalGlobe, a satellite-imaging company, took this photo on December 6 with its WorldView-3 satellite. This version shows the San Fernando hills in natural color...
... While this version shows the same view at the same time, yet cuts through the smoke with an infrared sensor.
Orange shows active fires, light brown shows burn scar, and blue-gray shows unburned plants and structures.
DigitalGlobe shares its detailed imagery with emergency personnel, insurance companies, and others who keep track of the spreading fires. This view centers on the city of Mira Monte in eastern Ventura County and covers an area of about 8 miles by 11 miles.
The towns of Wheeler Springs and Ojala are to the north, where large blazes were burning at the time.
While Southern California's fires rage on, the National Weather Service has issued red-flag-warning areas in three different states. Exceptional dryness, a lot of fuel, and strong winds make these areas rip for "extreme fire behavior."
Source: Cal Fire
