California: satellite images show devastating fires near Los Angeles

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An area larger than the city of Cologne has already been destroyed

Photo: NASA Earth Observatory

The flames have a name: The "Bobcat" fire - in English bobcat - has been raging in the mountains north of Los Angeles for weeks.

Images from NASA's "Landsat 8" satellite document the extent of the destruction in the San Gabriel Mountains.  

This false color photo was created using infrared measurements.

Active fires appear bright red, areas destroyed by flames appear dark red, intact vegetation green and cities gray.

The fire ignited at the beginning of September and has since destroyed an area of ​​more than 450 square kilometers - larger than the city of Cologne.

And it's not the only one.

California is currently experiencing the largest fires in the state's history.

• You can read the SPIEGEL series on the fires here.

Residents in the affected areas have been asked to leave their homes.

More than 1,600 emergency services fought against "Bobcat" alone.

More than 200 fire engines and several helicopters were in use.

Most of the flames are now under control.

The neighboring Pasadena is currently not endangered.

However, residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and to register with the local emergency system, which will notify them of any necessary evacuations.

If the fires pile up, the trees don't have enough time

It is normal for California to burn at this time of year.

However, the flames raged much more violently in recent years.

They were bigger, hotter, and more common.

This can even be dangerous for the sequoia trees typical of California, which are actually well adapted to fires.

Fires in these forests usually destroy the undergrowth, but not the crowns of the tall trees - there the rising hot air triggers the opening of the cones, the seeds fall out and germinate on fertile ash soil.

However, the strategy only works if the trees grow sufficiently tall before the next fire.

If the fires pile up, the trees do not have enough time to grow.

Climate change also favors the fires.

It is getting drier, hotter and in recent years the fire weather has lasted for an unusually long time (read more here.)

The fires in California are likely to continue this year.

The dry, warm, fire-fomenting Santa Ana winds, also known as the Devil's Winds, typically hit California in late fall and winter.

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