A new NASA image shows the devastation wreaked by the King Fire east of Sacramento, California, which has been burning for the last two weeks.
NASA's Landsat 8 satellite took this infrared image on Sept. 19, which NASA artificially colored. Smoke appears blue and cleared forest shows up as beige. Red marks the 89,571 acres the fire had destroyed by the time the picture was taken.
That burn scar of charred, barren land means Wednesday and Thursday's rain is a mixed blessing. Without vegetation to hold the soil together, rains can easily trigger flash floods and mudslides, according to Weather.com.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning around 1pm Thursday for the King Fire burn area following 24 hours of rainfall.
Flash Flood Warning for #KingFire burn area. Flash floods and/or debris flows are possible through early eve #cawx pic.twitter.com/c60gjZ4ZJ3— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) September 25, 2014
The blaze has has destroyed 95,000 acres since it started on Sept. 13. Recent rains have slowed its spread, but created the flood risk in the burned areas.
Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said the battle against the King Fire has cost over $53 million, making it the second most costly wildfire of the year. The Happy Camp Fire near Oregon cost $83 million to fight, he added.
According to Cal Fire News, the fire was 43% contained as of 1 p.m. PT Thursday, and had burned twelve homes.