Fires

Satellite image shows Thomas Fire smoke stretching up to Oregon border

By Gabby Ferreira
In this NASA satellite image taken Monday, smoke from the Thomas Fire can be seen spreading along the coast as far up as Eureka.
In this NASA satellite image taken Monday, smoke from the Thomas Fire can be seen spreading along the coast as far up as Eureka. NASA

SLO County residents have seen smoke from the Thomas Fire drifting this way since Sunday morning, but a satellite image taken by NASA shows the smoke reaching all the way past Eureka.

The satellite image, which was tweeted out by the National Weather Service in Sacramento, shows a thick plume of smoke stretching the length of the California coast, from Santa Barbara to near the Oregon border.

The Thomas Fire has charred about 230,500 acres since it began last Monday night and is now the fifth-largest fire in California history. It is 15 percent contained.

When the Santa Ana winds were blowing strong offshore, the plumes of smoke from the Southern California fires blew due west without spreading north, as seen in this photo from Dec. 6. Hot spots are shown in red. Now, the smoke is spreading all the way up the coast to the Oregon border.
When the Santa Ana winds were blowing strong offshore, the plumes of smoke from the Southern California fires blew due west without spreading north, as seen in this photo from Dec. 6. Hot spots are shown in red. Now, the smoke is spreading all the way up the coast to the Oregon border. Jeff Schmaltz NASA

Gabby Ferreira: 805-781-7858, @Its_GabbyF

This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Satellite image shows Thomas Fire smoke stretching up to Oregon border."

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