California Wildfires Continue Blazing, Smoke Visible from Space

Southern California wildfires continue raging, with smoke billowing so high that it can be seen from space.

The fire started Tuesday just north of San Diego and continued into Thursday, fueled by dry conditions, gusty winds and temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), according to several media reports.

The blaze split into several separate fires, CNN reported, igniting 10,000 acres and killing at least one person. Firefighters continued to battle the blazes throughout Thursday night.

"Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not on our side today," Cal Fire Capt. Mike Mohler told CNN's Erin Burnett on Thursday.

As of Thursday morning, county officials told NBC News that a total of nine fires were burning across a 14 square mile area. But firefighters are concentrating their efforts on the newest blaze that broke out late Wednesday afternoon in San Marcos, forcing 21,000 residents to evacuate and officials to declare a state of emergency.

According to Live Science, a weather phenomenon occurred in this area as firefighters battled the blaze. A fire tornado formed, caused by the turbulence of the wind and intense heat.

On Wednesday, NASA's Earth-watching Aqua spacecraft was even able to capture via satellite images the smoke plumes that stretched out over the Pacific Ocean from San Diego County.

Mother Nature may be bringing some relief this weekend, but in the meantime firefighters continue in their efforts to control the flames.

"Relief is on the way, but it will be slow," explained Weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. "Friday, the Santa Ana winds will finally cease, but it will remain quite warm. This weekend, however, onshore winds will bring temperatures back to mid-May averages, with 70s along the coast, along with higher humidity, morning low clouds and fog."

Thousands of people have been evacuated and many schools across the city and the county have canceled classes until at least next week.