California wildfires have grown so massive they can be seen from outer space!
The deadly California wildfires, which were deemed as the largest wildfires in the state’s history, have reportedly become so massive that they can now be seen from outer space, according to reports.
State officials on Monday said that the Mendocino Complex fire in California is the largest active wildfire in the Golden State’ history as the blaze has rapidly spread and scorched 283,800 acres of land — an area nearly the size of Los Angeles.
The International Space Station (ISS) astronauts photographed pictures of the blaze while they were in orbit, 250 miles above the earth. The images show the atmosphere covered by thick plumes of grey smoke, Space.com reported.
The European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Alexander Gerst, also tweeted about the wildfire after witnessing it from space on Friday and said: "California burning. These fires are frightening to watch, even from space. Here’s a shout-out from space to all firefighters on this planet, my former colleagues. Stay safe, my friends!”
According to Gerst’s biography on the ESA website, the astronaut once worked as a volunteer firefighter.
The pictures were shared on Twitter on Monday by astronaut Ricky Arnold, which showed multiple spots burning in a region.
“Plumes of billowing smoke from the #CaliforniaWildfires stretch eastwards toward to the Rocky Mountains,” Arnold wrote in his tweet.
The Mendocino Complex Fire, comprising of two fires in nearby areas, surpassed last year's Thomas Fire in the region which was declared as the largest in state history in 2017.
Firefighters are currently battling blazes at 16 locations across the state as the hot weather, low humidity and strong winds are making their job tougher. Over 14,000 firefighters and hundreds of army personnel are involved in the firefighting efforts across the state.
At least seven people have been killed in the deadly blaze till now in the northern region of California, and the wildfires have destroyed over 1,000 homes.
National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Hurley had reportedly warned that it does not appear that the conditions will improve any time soon as temperatures as high as 43C are being forecast in some of the affected regions.