Gusty winds drove wildfires into southern California cities in mid-November 2008. Not only did the winds fan the fires flames, they also sent the smoke far out to sea. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite shows the Los Angeles metropolitan area on 16 November 2008. In this image, smoke fans out as it blows over the Pacific Ocean. Places where the sensor detected active fires are outlined in red. The top image shows smoke spreading far to the west over the Pacific Ocean. (The smoke was even thicker when the MODIS sensor on NASAs Terra satellite captured an image earlier in the day.) According to the National Interagency Fire Center daily situation report from 16 November, the Sayre Fire north of San Fernando was 8,000 acres and 20 percent contained. The Freeway Fire was 5,800 acres and 5 percent contained. The following day, winds died down, and the fires ferocity ebbed. Evacuees were allowed to return to their communities.
According to the report from the various sources fires raged for the fourth day around Southern California on Sunday but lighter winds brought hopes of relief from blazes that have destroyed almost 1,000 houses, from mobile homes to multimillion-dollar mansions, and forced some 50,000 people to flee.