File image of southern California wildfires taken by NASA satellite in October 2007

 
File image of southern California wildfires taken by NASA satellite in October 2007
The smoke from Southern California wildfires, which burned over 500,000 acres in a two-week period, drifts out over the Pacific Ocean in this NASA file satellite image from October 2007. In a vicious cycle made worse by humans, scientists now believe fires spur climate change, which in turn makes blazes bigger, more frequent and more damaging to the environment. REUTERS/NASA/Handout (SCI TECH ENVIRONMENT) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS