Extreme wildfire is like a driverless car, veering close to a major NASA center. The Eaton Fire erupted in the wooded hills outside of Los Angeles’ Altadena community, destroying 4,627 structures and causing injuries and fatalities. A NASA instrument captured the devastation, showing how it came perilously close to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The lab closed during the critical fire conditions, responsible for missions like Voyager and the Mars rovers. The view below, captured by NASA’s AVIRIS-3 instrument, shows the impact of the fire burning 14,117 acres as of Jan. 11.
NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.
The burned areas are shown in dark brown, including neighborhoods in Altadena and surrounding communities. The wildland where the fire started appears in orange.
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The image shows the fire coming within 0.6 miles of JPL, driven by hot weather and dry conditions leading to uncontrollable flames.
The burned regions of the Eaton Fire as of Jan. 11, 2025, as documented by NASA’s AVIRIS-3 instrument.
Credit: NASA / Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-3 (AVIRIS-3) / Lauren Dauphin
Despite the close proximity, the JPL campus remained undamaged. However, over 150 employees lost their homes, impacting the community significantly.
