Seen from space: US wildfire burns area 3 times Delhi’s size

A massive wildfire gutted trees, melted telephone and electricity lines, and disrupted normal life in nearby towns in the US state of Texas. This massive fire, visible even from space, showcases the severity of the situation.

Imagery released by American space tech company Maxar Technologies highlights the scale of the devastation from thousands of miles above Earth.

Named after a historic ranch, the Smokehouse Creek fire has already claimed two lives and continues to threaten countless homes, cattle, and livelihoods as it ravages more land by the minute.

Burn scars can be seen in the close vicinity of the Texas town of Canadian in this Maxar satellite imagery dated Feb 28. (Hold and drag the slider to see changes caused by the fire.)

As per CNN, the blaze has consumed over 1 million acres in Texas alone, marking it as the state’s second-biggest fire on record. Additionally, the fire has spread into Oklahoma, charring over 31,500 acres, as reported by the state’s forestry service.

The sheer scale of the fire can be understood by the fact that it has engulfed more than 10 lakh acres of land – an area around three times in size compared to the expanse of the Indian capital, Delhi. As per the National Capital Region Planning Board, the total area of Delhi is estimated to be 36,6457 acres, which is 66,5043 acres less.

Extensive damage and plumes of smoke can be seen in the Texas city of Fritch, which was hit by a devastating blaze 10 years ago.

As per US media reports, the damage is particularly severe in Texas’ Hemphill County where, as per local authorities, 400,000 acres have been burned. Numerous homes have been destroyed and thousands of cattle have perished. This county’s loss is especially impactful given that over 85 per cent of Texas’ cattle are raised in the Panhandle region.

Firefighters and emergency services are working tirelessly to control the blaze, which exploded in size due to what a Texas forest service officer described as a “Goldilocks collection of circumstances”: low humidity, dry vegetation, and high winds. Despite some precipitation which helped calm the fire, it remains largely uncontained, and there are concerns that upcoming windy conditions could exacerbate the situation further.

The fire has found its way to heating American politics, with President Joe Biden taking the opportunity to take aim at his main rival – former President Donald Trump, who has a long record of denying climate change.

“The idea there’s no such thing as climate change. I love that, man. I love some of my Neanderthal friends who still think there’s no climate change,” President Biden said during his Texas tour.

In the past, Trump has called climate change “mythical”, “non-existent” and “an expensive hoax” but maintained it as a “serious subject” and “very important” to him.