California 2020 wildfires, as seen from space

Nina Pullano 9.4.2020 11:00 PM Inferno Rhonda Buchanan / EyeEm

Edward Tovmassian / EyeEm A bout of wildfires has been spreading across the state of California since mid-August.

The fires were started by lightning.

The August Lightning Siege of 2020 ignited hundreds of wildfires, officials say. MediaNews Group/East Bay Times

Shutterstock 11,000 Lightning strikes over 3 days Cal Fire 11,000

The California flames are so powerful that they can be seen from space.

NASA's Terra satellite captured images of the fires.

"Copious clouds of smoke spill off the California coast and travel almost 600 miles," NASA reports. NASA

Burn scars are visible where the fires have cleared land. NASA

China News Service/Getty Scientists say climate change exacerbates the risks of wildfires and makes them more severe.

First responders are dealing with putting out the fires amid the global pandemic.

Firefighter Edgar Morales watches as as a backfire burns off Chemise Road in Healdsburg, California in August 2020. MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images

Liu Guanguan/China News Service

Shutterstock Read more about other earthly phenomena that can be seen from space .

The fires were started by lightning.

The California flames are so powerful that they can be seen from space.

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