Franklin Fire ravaging Malibu, USA
On 9 December 2024, a wildfire, identified by the local authorities as Franklin Fire, broke out in Malibu, California, destroying multiple structures and forcing the evacuation of 6,300 people. Two days after the start of the event, the Franklin Fire remained only 7% contained, causing school closures and the deployment of almost 2,000 firefighters to stop its spread.
This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 10 December 2024, shows the active fire on the Malibu coast, and its smoke plume stretching westward more than 130 km. On the day of the acquisition alone, the burn area grew 243 hectares.
Open data provided by the Copernicus Sentinel satellites is key to monitoring and mapping the extent and effects of global wildfires, informing damage assessments and supporting management operations.
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