NASA Astronaut Snaps Photos Of Kincade Fire Destruction From Space

While aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan was able to take photos of the Kincade wildfires currently raging in California. According to recent updates, the Kincade Fire has already burned almost 78,000 acres of land.

As the ISS passed over California from low-Earth orbit, Morgan and other astronauts aboard the station were able to see just how destructive the wildfires in the area are. In the photos taken by Morgan from space, large patches of land scorched by the Kincade Fire and plumes of smoke can be seen.

“I was able to catch these pictures of the California wildfires burning north of the Bay Area,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “Thinking of the people who have lost their homes and the brave first responders on the front lines protecting them.”

As of this writing, about 65% of the wildfires have already been contained. However, reports indicate that the Kincade fire has already burned 77,758 acres of land, according to ABC 7 News. In total, 165 homes have been destroyed by the wildfires.

Currently, more 5,000 individuals from various agencies in California are working to contain the fires and helping with the evacuation procedures. Recently, evacuation warnings for various zones within California were lifted.

According to NASA, winds in northern California were mainly responsible for the immediate spread of the Kincade Fire. In a previous statement, the agency also noted that the yearly increase in average global temperatures also plays a huge role in the worsening condition of wildfires. NASA revealed that due to these factors, incidents involving wildfires have spiked drastically within the last five years.

“A study published in July 2019 shows these remarkable fire years are no longer freakish anomalies,” NASA said in a statement. “They fit with a trend of more frequent and bigger fires. According to the researchers, the annual burned area across California has increased fivefold over the past five decades, and the main driver is higher temperatures.”

The Kincade Fire is currently the largest wildfire incident to hit California this year. Earlier in October, a fire in Los Angeles burned almost 9,000 acres of land.