Santa Ana winds rapidly spread wildfires through shrubland, tall grasses, and brush in southern California in December 2017. As of January 2, 2018, the Thomas Fire has burned 281,893 acres since starting on December 4. The fire is almost entirely contained, but not before becoming the largest fire in California’s modern history.

In the Landsat 8 image acquired on December 9, smoke is carried west by strong winds, which also continued to spread fire through the dry terrain, mountain passes, and canyons. The diagonal lines are an airplane contrail and its shadow cast on the ground. Landsat 8’s December 25 image reveals the burn scar and shows how close the fire burned near Santa Barbara. The fire was 92 percent contained on January 1.

Landsat’s 30-meter resolution allows detailed mapping of burn extent and severity. Its shortwave infrared (SWIR) and near-infrared (NIR) bands combine to clearly show the distinction between burned and unburned vegetation.