As California battles dangerous wildfires, the rising plumes of smoke have actually been visible from space.
On May 14, NASA's Earth-watching Aqua spacecraft captured an image of the smoke that shows evidence of the intense blazes in San Diego County, Live Science reported.
The series of fires has resulted in at least one death so far, a badly burned body found in a Carlsbad transient camp, NPR reported via The Associated Press.
The entire state has been suffering from exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions that have encouraged the wildfires, with the San Diego area ranked in the second-most dangerous category, according to CNN.
"The last three years have the driest in California's recorded history," said Gov. Jerry Brown, who declared a state of emergency in San Diego County on Wednesday.
Beginning earlier this week near San Diego, the initial fire has split into separate blazes that have burned around 16 square miles, fueled by temperatures of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, CNN reported. It started close to California State University San Marcos and then spread north, east and west.
Firefighters were working to extinguish 36 fires Wednesday night and were battling eight as of Thursday. When the fire spread to 1,000 acres on Thursday afternoon, officials issued 13,000 more evacuation notices.
In one of the latest updates, KPBS reported that thousands of San Marcos residents were allowed to return to their homes on Friday after the fire in the area was 15 percent contained.
According to the AP, wildfires have devastated at least eight homes, an 18-unit condominium complex and two businesses, causing more than $20 million in damage so far.
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