Colorado wildfires seen from ISS

Astronauts on the International Space Station captured on camera the vast scale of wildfires raging across parts of Colorado.

A video released by NASA on June 28 shows huge plumes of smoke billowing up into sky above the Rocky Mountains. Several fires have been burning nonstop in the region, including the out-of-control Waldo Canyon Fire that has consumed 15,517 acres (6,280 hectares) so far.

The high-definition video of the Colorado wildfires from space was taken through an Earth-facing window routinely used by the astronauts to observe their home planet.

As of Wednesday (June 27), the Waldo Canyon fire was only 5 percent contained and had forced the evacuation of at least 32,000 people, NASA officials said. NASA has been keeping a close watch on the Colorado wildfires with satellite observations in addition to the sightings by space station astronauts.

Raging Western wildfires  photo gallery

Featured image credit: NASA