“Stunning NASA Aerial Footage Reveals Proximity of Eaton Fire to JPL and Nearby Neighborhoods”

Stunning aerial visuals revealed firefighting activities in the broader Los Angeles region last week, as numerous wildfires ravaged areas, causing extensive devastation and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. The footage, recorded by Coulson Aviation, who are contracted throughout the year by LA, Ventura, and Orange counties, illustrates aerial water drops and striking imagery of flames nearing residences.

ALTADENA, Calif. – Infrared visuals from NASA flights over the Eaton Fire near Altadena, California, demonstrate how near the blaze came to numerous additional structures, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, before it ceased its spread.

As per NASA’s Earth Observatory, the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-3) operated from a B200 aircraft over Los Angeles on January 11, capturing imagery of wildfire zones.

The Eaton Fire ignited on January 7, ultimately devouring over 14,000 acres across regions including Altadena, Pasadena, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre.

An image from NASA’s Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-3), which flew on a B200 aircraft over the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County, California, on January 11, 2025.

(NASA)

NASA’s false-color visuals reveal the scorched remnants of these developed regions in deep brown, and the incinerated wildland in the Angeles National Forest appears in orange.

NASA’s JPL/Caltech campus is visible west of the burn zone. The campus has been shut since the initiation of the Eaton Fire and has been utilized as a staging area for firefighting resources. 

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Due to the fire’s closeness to the JPL and Caltech facilities, NASA has confirmed that over 1,000 employees, students, and faculty have been displaced by the fires. More than 270 individuals have lost their residences to the fires.

NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite captured visuals of the Palisades Fire burn region, which displays a visibly scorched area transitioning from light brown to dark brown to the north and west of the Pacific Palisades community.

An image of the Palisades Fire burn area in false-color taken by the Operational Land Imager-2 on NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite in January 2025.

(NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin)

NASA mentions that the data from AVIRIS-3 and other instruments can aid in examining fire dynamics and the impact of emissions on a community. 

NASA wildland fire program leader Michael Falkowski stated that the visuals of the Eaton Fire could assist researchers in understanding the chemical makeup and hazardous nature of the ash following the fire, as well as its movement over time through wind and water. 

Nearly ten days post the tragic fire, LA County Fire officials reported that the fire was 55% contained and had ceased its expansion. 

Countless structures have been obliterated by the Eaton and Palisades fires, propelled by intense Santa Ana winds on January 7. At least 24 individuals perished in the fires, and that count is expected to increase as urban search and recovery teams sift through the debris.