Skip to main content
Live Science Live Science
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
  • Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter
    • Space
    • Health
    • Planet Earth
    • Animals
    • Archaeology
    • Physics & Math
    • Technology
    • Human Behavior
    • Chemistry
    • More
      • Science news
      • Opinion
      • Life's Little Mysteries
      • Science quizzes
      • About us
      • Newsletters
      • Follow us
      • Story archive
    Trending
    • 'New star' explosion
    • How did Ramesses II die?
    • 'Dragon Man'
    • Vera C. Rubin Observatory pictures
    • NordVPN deal

    Recommended reading

    A satellite photo shows a glowing lava river flowing down the side of Mount Etna as a plume of ash and gas is released from its other side
    Volcanos 'River of fire' flows from Mount Etna during 'crazy' explosive outburst
    A satellite photo of an island with a giant river of orange lava
    Volcanos 'River of fire' unleashes toxic gases as eruption destroys town in La Palma
    A satellite photo of a large orange dust cloud over the ocean along the coast of West Africa
    Weather Giant 'Saharan dust' plume swirls around Africa a week before it hit Florida
    A photograph of the Mount Etna eruption ash cloud rising above Catania.
    Volcanos Mount Etna eruption in images: See Europe's largest active volcano blow from different angles
    a firefighter wearing gear stands on a hill looking out at a large wildfire
    Viruses, Infections & Disease How wildfire smoke hurts the body — and how to protect yourself
    A satellite photo showing two bright red spots in a green landscape
    Volcanos Pair of 'glowing' lava lakes spotted on Africa's most active volcanoes as they erupt simultaneously
    A satellite photo of an island with a massive caldera and crater lake with smoke coming from part of the volcano
    Volcanos 'Shining anus' volcano in Tonga coughs up cloud of smoke during recent eruption
    1. Space
    Space.com

    California's Caldor Fire seen from space in harrowing satellite images (gallery)

    News
    By Christine Lunsford published 2 September 2021

    It's one of the biggest fires in California history.

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Caldor Fire nears Lake Tahoe

    Caldor Fire nears Lake Tahoe

    The Caldor Fire, one of the largest in California's history, has been blazing in El Dorado County since Aug. 14, 2021. 

    It has since burned more than 200,000 acres of land and is now progressing toward the border of Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. See satellite images of the growing fire in this Space.com gallery. 

    The image above, captured Aug. 30 by NASA's Aqua satellite, shows smoke from the Caldor Fire encroaching on the southern portion of Lake Tahoe. 

    Related: Record temperatures, fire clouds and drought ravage Earth in 2021

    Page 1 of 12
    Page 1 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 17

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 17

    An early view of the Caldor Fire, captured Aug. 17, shows the flames and smoke cutting across the dry California landscape. At the time, the fire was about 24 miles (38 kilometers) wide.

    Page 2 of 12
    Page 2 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 30

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 30

    NOAA's GOES 17 satellite captured this image of the raging Caldor Fire on Aug. 30, 2021. The Caldor Fire had scorched nearly 200,000 acres of forest and land as of Aug. 31, 2021. Residents of towns near South Lake Tahoe were evacuated as the blaze spread.

    Full story: Satellite tracks vicious Caldor Fire spread in California in time-lapse video

    Page 3 of 12
    Page 3 of 12
    The Dixie Fire is still burning, too.

    The Dixie Fire is still burning, too.

    Meanwhile, as the Caldor Fire has taken the spotlight, another fire is raging in Northern California. The second-largest Californian fire on record — the Dixie Fire —continues to burn has burned over 800,000 acres since July 13, 2021. This image from NASA's Landsat 8 satellite shows smoke from the Dixie Fire on Aug. 28, 2021, blanketing the region north of the Caldor Fire.

    Related: Satellite photos show Dixie Fire's devastation to California town in before-and-after views

    Page 4 of 12
    Page 4 of 12
    More fires blaze to the north

    More fires blaze to the north

    Air quality across the western United States is posing risks to people due to the Caldor, Dixie and other fires. In this image, captured Aug. 29 by the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite, nine fires are seen burning across multiple western states.

    Related: North America is surrounded by 4 storms and wildfire smoke in this satellite view

    Page 5 of 12
    Page 5 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 29

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 29

    South of Lake Tahoe in California, the Caldor Fire continues to burn, spewing smoke across the region. This image was processed by citizen scientist Pierre Markuse using data aquired by the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel mission on Aug. 29, 2021. 

    Page 6 of 12
    Page 6 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 29

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 29

    In this satellite image aquired on Aug. 29, 2021, the Caldor Fire's smoke plume veils the region south of Lake Tahoe.

    Page 7 of 12
    Page 7 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 24

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 24

    On Aug. 24, 2021, the Caldor Fire continues to burn across the region south of Lake Tahoe. 

    Page 8 of 12
    Page 8 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 24

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 24

    The Caldor Fire, burning just south of Lake Tahoe, broke out on Aug. 14, 2021, and was only 20% contained as of Sept. 1. This image was processed by citizen scientist Pierre Markuse using data aquired by the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel mission on Aug. 24, 2021.

    Page 9 of 12
    Page 9 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 22

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 22

    As of Aug. 22, 2021, the Caldor Fire was blanketing the area with thick smoke as well as forcing residents in its path to flee.

    Page 10 of 12
    Page 10 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 22

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 22

    Strong winds and low humidity pushed the Caldor Fire to spread over the ridge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Several more California counties had to be evacuated because of the spread.

    Page 11 of 12
    Page 11 of 12
    Caldor Fire on Aug. 19

    Caldor Fire on Aug. 19

    Smoke and clouds above and around the Caldor Fire block views of the ground almost completely. This enormous fire began August 14, 2021 and as of August 31, has scorched just over 190,000 acres.

    Page 12 of 12
    Page 12 of 12
    CATEGORIES
    Planet Earth
    Christine Lunsford
    Read more
    A satellite photo shows a glowing lava river flowing down the side of Mount Etna as a plume of ash and gas is released from its other side
    'River of fire' flows from Mount Etna during 'crazy' explosive outburst
    A satellite photo of an island with a giant river of orange lava
    'River of fire' unleashes toxic gases as eruption destroys town in La Palma
    A satellite photo of a large orange dust cloud over the ocean along the coast of West Africa
    Giant 'Saharan dust' plume swirls around Africa a week before it hit Florida
    A photograph of the Mount Etna eruption ash cloud rising above Catania.
    Mount Etna eruption in images: See Europe's largest active volcano blow from different angles
    a firefighter wearing gear stands on a hill looking out at a large wildfire
    How wildfire smoke hurts the body — and how to protect yourself
    A satellite photo showing two bright red spots in a green landscape
    Pair of 'glowing' lava lakes spotted on Africa's most active volcanoes as they erupt simultaneously
    Latest in Space
    Mars (top) and Regulus (bottom), side by side in the night sky
    Mars cozies up to one of the brightest stars in the sky in 'mind-blowing' conjunction photo
    A stargazer stood on a rock with the night sky in the background
    'New star' becomes visible over North America
    SpaceX's Ship 36 exploded into a giant fireball during a routine test on June 18.
    SpaceX's Starship explodes on Texas launch pad in 'catastrophic failure' during routine test
    A long-exposure photo of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in front of a starry sky.
    How to see the first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory on Monday
    a red, rocky cliff
    Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the truth.
    an illustration of radio waves against a purple smoky background
    Mysterious deep-space radio signals reveal location of the universe's 'missing matter'
    Latest in News
    Two human burials, a series of four pots, and a map showing the location of two cemeteries in Neolithic China
    Women likely ruled in Stone Age China, DNA analysis of 4,500-year-old skeletons reveals
    Three aspects of a gold ring with a purple sapphire and a lion on the band
    Medieval gold ring found in castle in Slovakia has rare purple sapphire imported from Sri Lanka
    Ice calving from the fracture zone of a glacier crashes into the ocean in Greenland. Melting of such glacial ice is leading to the warping of Earth's crust.
    Humanity could be just 3 years away from crossing a dire climate threshold, report warns
    a black and white photo of Einstein standing in a line of men
    'Dreadful danger for all mankind': Einstein's powerful anti-war letter goes up for auction
    The optical power beaming receiver designed for DARPA's power-beaming experiment.
    DARPA smashes wireless power record, beaming energy more than 5 miles away — and uses it to make popcorn
    Close-up of tree roots underground.
    Plants have a secret, second set of roots deep underground that scientists didn't know about
    LATEST ARTICLES
    1. A two-paneled image. On the left, a reconstruction of a Denisovan man. On the right, a visualization of swirling rainbow matter in outer space.
      1
      Science news this week: 'Dragon Man's' identity and the universe's 'missing matter'
    2. 2
      Women likely ruled in Stone Age China, DNA analysis of 4,500-year-old skeletons reveals
    3. 3
      'Dreadful danger for all mankind': Einstein's powerful anti-war letter goes up for auction
    4. 4
      Medieval gold ring found in castle in Slovakia has rare purple sapphire imported from Sri Lanka
    5. 5
      Humanity could be just 3 years away from crossing a dire climate threshold, report warns

    Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    • About Us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Advertise with us
    • Web notifications
    • Careers
    • Editorial standards
    • How to pitch a story to us

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

    Please login or signup to comment

    Please wait...