California fires visible from space

(Photo: NASA Earth Observatory)

The 11 active large wildfires terrorizing California have killed at least two firefighters, of more than 6,400 people battling the blazes. The fires prompted a declaration of a state of emergency from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in two counties, Los Angeles and Monterey.

The Station blaze in LA threatens communications towers critical not only for television and radio broadcasts, but also for national security and and threatens the Mount Wilson Observatory. It also prompted the evacuation of more than 10,000 homes.

About 60,000 acres have burned in the last 10 days in California, and nine additional fires are burning throughout the West.

Arizona, Colorado, and Texas fighting one fire each, and Oregon, Utah and Washington are fighting two fires each.

The smoke created by the wildfires around Los Angeles can be seen easily from space. The photo above was taken by NASA of the Los Angeles County area on Aug. 30, 2009. Smoke from the wildfires has created serious air quality concerns.

The entire state of California is experiencing drought, with a large portion classified as "severe drought" by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

See also Four Ways Global Warming Contributes to Wildfire Risk.

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