NASA measures California wildfire temperatures from ISS

NASA has measured California wildfire temperatures using an instrument on the International Space Station.

The space agency’s ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) imaged the fires, including the El Dorado fire near Yucaipa and the Valley Fire in Japatul Valley, according to NASA.

The images were captured on Sept. 6.

“Both images, taken at 12:13 am PDT (3:13 am EDT), show multiple concentrated areas of surface temperatures (in red) higher than 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius),” NASA said, in a statement. “These high-temperature regions were likely where the active fires were occurring. The surrounding areas show abnormally warm middle-of-the-night background surface temperatures (orange) due to the ongoing heat wave.”

ECOSTRESS is operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Enlarge ImageThe El Dorado Fire burns a hillside near Yucaipa in the San Bernardino National Forest, California.
The El Dorado Fire burns a hillside near Yucaipa in the San Bernardino National Forest, California.EPA

The California and Oregon wildfires have also been spotted from space in remarkable satellite pictures. The images, captured by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA satellites, show the incredible scale of the wildfires.

At least seven people have died from the wildfires ravaging the West Coast.