Published on 14 January 2019
On November 8, fires broke out in several places in northern and southwestern California. The largest, in the northern part of the state, known as Camp Fire, spread in one day to an area of more than 30,000 hectares. By November 13 it had reportedly devastated at least 47,000 hectares, with 30% confinement. it was reported to be the deadliest wildfire to hit California in 85 years.
The above Sentinel-3 OLCI True Colour RGB image from November 11 shows smoke from various locations streaming out over the Pacific. The observed area is filled with smoke with almost no clouds seen.
The Woolsey Fire, in the southern part of the state, has reportedly burned more than 37,000 hectares and destroyed 435 structures, including large swathes of the coastal area of Malibu. The image below shows the smoke plumes over Malibu on 11 November.