A satellite is tracking the vicious Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe in California as it becomes the 17th largest wildfire on record in the state. A time-lapse video by the satellite shows the spread of the massive fire that has consumed 191,207 acres of forest and land since it began on August 14, Space.com reported.
Governors of California and Nevada have already declared states of emergency on Monday, August 30, as it grew more and continued its destructive charge. Officials prompted everyone in the city of South Lake Tahoe to evacuate immediately.
Satellite Images Show Time-Lapse Video of Caldor Fire
According to Space.com, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 17 satellite recorded images make up the new time-lapse video that shows the extent of the damage caused by the Caldor Fire. The satellite used its high-resolution rapid-scan camera to capture the latest wildfire on the border of California and Nevada.
The satellite's camera is specifically designed to detect wildfires and monitor the smoke coverage in near real-time. Officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gathered all images and sped them up to create the new time-lapse video of the California wildfire.
The NOAA released the video on their official Twitter account on the morning of Tuesday, August 31, which shows the blazing fires burning south of Lake Tahoe with a thick billow of smoke that is spreading at the eastern part of the state.
The GOES 17 satellite was launched in March 2018 and sits at the altitude of 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the Earth in a location where it has a constant view of North America and the Pacific Ocean. It is the most advanced weather monitoring system in the Western hemisphere, a product of the collaboration between NOAA and NASA.
Caldor Fire Continues to Rage on Lake Tahoe After Mass Evacuation
CNN reported that residents in the city of South Lake Tahoe and those living in the southern part of the lake were put under mandatory evacuation since Monday as the fire continues to rampage the area.
Mayor Tamara Wallace said that the fire has now jumped the granite that once stood between them and the wildfire. Now it is also burning parts in the Lake Tahoe basin, threatening homes and community.
Around 20,000 residents from the city left on Monday, while inmates at the South Lake Tahoe jail were also evacuated. There are no discussions yet about when the residents will be allowed to return because the fire continues to rage through Lake Tahoe.
Officials noted that the fire was active overnight, and embers start to travel three-quarters of a mile. They are now monitoring the fire that strong winds might worsen.
Cal Fire Chief Chris Anthony said that California has been seeing more frequent destructive fires in the past years that are associated with drought and climate change. As of now, the fire already destroyed 486 homes and threatened to destroy 33,679 structures. Cal Fire estimates that the fire will be fully contained by September 13, while an investigation is still ongoing for the cause of the fire.
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