Wildfires ripping through parts of Los Angeles – forcing at least 150,000 people to flee their homes – are so extensive that they can now be seen from Space.

Satellite images show the apocalyptic scenes, which have been described as ‘hell on earth’ by those forced to watch their homes burn.

For more than 48 hours, the inferno – believed to be the worst in the history of LA – has been ravaging communities in the Palisades and Eaton areas.

‘This firestorm is the big one,’ LA mayor Karen Bass said after rushing back to the city, cutting short an official trip to Ghana.

Firefighters are so far unable to contain the flames, leaving them to spread across thousands of acres.

New satellite images from Maxar Technologies provide the best view yet of the number of buildings burning in the Palisades and Eaton wildfires in Los Angeles.
New satellite images from Maxar Technologies show the number of buildings burning in the Palisades and Eaton wildfires in Los Angeles (Picture: Maxar Technologies)

At least six separate wildfires were burning in Los Angeles county, with at least three of them were listed as ‘0% controlled’.

They include two huge conflagrations on the eastern and western flanks of the city and the smaller Sunset fire raging in Hollywood Hills just above the Hollywood Boulevard and its Walk of Fame.

At least 17,234 acres have burned in the Palisades fire and another 10,600 acres in the Eaton fire. Both infernos are 0% contained.

A swath of about 250 homes in an Altadena neighborhood that had been dotted with the green canopies of leafy trees and aquamarine swimming pools was reduced to rubble.

Only a handful of homes were left standing and some were still in flames in images from Maxar Technologies.

epa11814722 A handout satellite image made available by NASA's Worldview application, part of the NASA Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS), shows smoke from the forest fires and clouds over Los Angeles, California, USA, 08 January 2025 (issued 09 January 2025). According to data from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) multiple wildfires are burning across thousands of acres and forcing thousands of evacuations and destroying hundreds of homes in the Los Angeles area. EPA/NASA WORLDVIEW HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Smoke from the forest fires and clouds rising over Los Angeles, California (Picture: EPA)

Los Angeles fire satellite high res
Hundreds of buildings can be seen burning from Space (Picture: Maxar)

epa11814721 A handout satellite image made available by NASA's Earth Observatory shows smoke from the forest fires and clouds over Los Angeles, California, USA, 08 January 2025 (issued 09 January 2025). According to data from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) multiple wildfires are burning across thousands of acres and forcing thousands of evacuations and destroying hundreds of homes in the Los Angeles area. EPA/NASA WORLDVIEW HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Further evacuation orders have been announced in the last 12 hours (Picture: Maxar)


Smoke can also be seen rising from the cities of Malibu and Santa Monica in the satellite images.

Along a stretch of about 70 wall-to-wall homes overhanging the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, fewer than 10 appeared to be intact.

Flames have been exacerbated by hurricane-force 80mph gales – and the fact that parts of the LA county have not seen any rain in months.

More than 1,000 buildings have already been destroyed by flames, while at least five people are confirmed dead so far.

President Joe Biden formally signed off on a federal disaster declaration earlier today.

Scene of devastation in the aftermath of fires at Malibu, CA, as seen from boat in Santa Monica Bay
Scene of devastation in the aftermath of fires at Malibu, CA, as seen from boat in Santa Monica Bay (Picture: SWNS)

The aftermath of the blaze in Malibu
Just a handful of properties are still standing on the coastline in Malibu (Picture: SWNS)
He was set to depart for Rome and the Vatican hours after speaking at Jimmy Carter’s funeral this afternoon, but has chosen to remain in Washington to monitor the response to raging blazes.

The White House says the declaration allows for federal funding to be made available to impacted individuals in the county for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs aimed at helping individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.