Satellite Constellation
Historical fires tracked by satellites
VIIRS and MODIS are sensors on NASA/NOAA polar-orbiting satellites that detect fire heat signatures. Because they pass overhead roughly once every 12 hours, large jumps in detection counts between observations are expected. NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) collects and distributes these detections.
GOES is a geostationary satellite fixed over the same region of Earth. It updates every 5 minutes, so changes in detection counts are much more gradual and fluid.
Igniting on January 7, 2025, and driven by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds reaching 100 mph, the Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres and destroyed 6,837 structures, while the Eaton Fire burned roughly 14,000 acres and destroyed an additional 9,418 structures. Together they rank among the most destructive fires in modern Los Angeles history, fueled by prolonged drought and critically low humidity.
The Border 2 Fire broke out on January 22, 2025, near the U.S.–Mexico border in San Diego County during critically dry and windy conditions following the destructive Southern California wind event of early January. It burned approximately 1,100 acres in the Otay Mountain Wilderness, prompting evacuations in communities near Chula Vista and Otay Ranch. The fire was contained by February 1, 2025 with coordination between U.S. and Mexican firefighting authorities.
The Airport Fire started on September 9, 2024, in Trabuco Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains of Orange County. It burned approximately 23,000 acres across Orange and Riverside counties, prompting mandatory evacuations for tens of thousands of residents in communities including El Cariso, Lake Elsinore, and portions of Rancho Santa Margarita. Dozens of structures were destroyed before the fire was fully contained on October 5, 2024.
The Caldor Fire ignited on August 14, 2021, near Grizzly Flats in El Dorado County from a human-caused source. It burned approximately 221,835 acres across El Dorado and Amador counties, destroying over 1,000 structures and forcing the evacuation of all of South Lake Tahoe. It was the first fire ever recorded to cross the Sierra Nevada crest.
The Dixie Fire burned 963,276 acres across five Northern California counties from July to October 2021, making it the largest single (non-complex) wildfire in California history. It destroyed over 1,300 structures and nearly wiped out the historic town of Greenville. The fire was also the first on record to burn across the crest of the Sierra Nevada, a milestone that underscored the shifting scale of wildfire in the region.
The August Complex originated as 38 separate fires ignited by lightning strikes on August 16–17, 2020, and ultimately merged into California's first recorded "gigafire," burning over 1,000,000 acres in total. The West Zone alone consumed approximately 140,000 acres in Mendocino and Trinity counties, destroying at least 21 structures. The complex became a landmark fire event marking a new era of extreme-scale wildfires in the American West.
The Valley Fire broke out on September 5, 2020, in the Japatul Valley area near Jamul and rapidly spread through tinder-dry brush in extreme heat, burning 17,665 acres over nearly three weeks. It destroyed 30 residences and 31 outbuildings before being fully contained. Fast-moving winds and record drought conditions drove the fire's explosive initial spread.
Igniting on September 6, 2020, in the Angeles National Forest, the Bobcat Fire burned 115,997 acres and became the second-largest fire on record in modern Los Angeles County history. It destroyed 169 structures across the rugged San Gabriel Mountains and burned for nearly three months, driven by hot, dry conditions and steep terrain that challenged containment efforts.
The Camp Fire ignited on November 8, 2018, near Pulga in Butte County and quickly became the most destructive wildfire in California history. Driven by powerful winds and dry conditions, it burned 153,336 acres and destroyed approximately 19,000 structures — including nearly the entire town of Paradise — in a matter of hours. The fire reshaped conversations around wildfire risk, community planning, and the resilience of foothill communities across the West.
The Woolsey Fire erupted on November 8, 2018, driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, burning 97,000 acres from the Santa Susana Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in Malibu. It destroyed over 1,600 structures and forced the evacuation of approximately 295,000 people. It remains one of the most damaging wildfires in Southern California history.
Beginning on December 4, 2017, the Thomas Fire was driven by strong Santa Ana winds and burned 281,893 acres across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties — at the time the largest wildfire in modern California history. It destroyed 1,063 structures and required the largest firefighter mobilization in California history, with over 8,500 personnel deployed at its peak. The burn scar later contributed to severe mudslides in the Montecito area in January 2018.