Satellite image shows Camp Fire smoke covering Bay Area

For a macro look at how much smoke from the Camp Fire blaze has covered parts of the Bay Area, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) captured the smoky strangulation from space. This image was snapped at 8:40 p.m. on November 8, the day the conflagration began.

The fire, which began early Thursday, has since grown to more than 113,000 acres with only five percent containment. The wildfire’s smoke has prompted Bay Area officials to declare a smoke advisory for the Bay Area until at least Saturday.

The smoke is so bad that Bay Area residents have taken to wearing particulate face masks in an effort to reduction pollutant inhalation.

According to NOAA, here’s how the photo was created:

This image was created by combining three of the high resolution thermal and visible channels from the VIIRS sensor on-board NOAA-20. These channels (known as SVI 4,2,1 RGB) allow us to distinguish different land types and features based on their visual and thermal differences. Areas of land that are hotter in temperature due to an active fire or burn scar appear dark red in the imagery. Smoke from the Camp Fire blowing toward the Pacific appears in shades of gray and white.

Update: Another satellite image, this one taken on the morning of November 11, shows the plume of smoke widening.

• Watch Camp Fire smoke blow into Bay Area from space [East Bay Times]
• Satellite Camp Fire image [NOAA Twitter]