Smoke From Canada Wildfires Visible From Space

ByEMILY SHAPIRO ABCNews logo
Friday, May 6, 2016

The devastating wildfires overrunning the Fort McMurray area of Alberta, Canada, are growing so large that the smoke is visible from space.

British astronaut Tim Peake snapped these photos from the International Space Station, tweeting today, "Thoughts are with all those affected by the fires."

The fires have covered 249,500 acres so far -- that's more than 10 times the area of Manhattan.

The blazes forced more than 80,000 to evacuate and evacuations are ongoing today and the Alberta provincial government has declared a state of emergency.

Premier Rachel Notley, the leader of Alberta's government, said today the damage in the city of Fort McMurray is "extensive" and will take "many months" to repair. Notley said the city's downtown is largely intact and hospital, airport, municipal buildings are still standing.

The government will spend $77.44 million in U.S. dollars to assist those displaced and affected.

No deaths or injuries have been reported, authorities said.

The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related Topics