The Franklin Fire burned 4,037 acres in and around Malibu before firefighters were able to fully contain the blaze on Thursday.

At over 6 square miles, the scale of the fire’s destruction is immense. So large, in fact, it’s clearly visible from space — with a little help from NASA’s technology.

Earlier this week, the space agency released images captured on Dec. 13. The images reveal more than can be seen with the naked eye — they combine shortwave infrared, near infrared, visible light, and components of the electromagnetic spectrum in order to show the dramatic contrast between the green, unburned vegetation and the recently burned landscape.
Find out what’s happening in Malibufor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The Franklin Fire broke out before 11 p.m. Dec. 9 as a 5-acre brush fire in Malibu Canyon. By the next morning, the fire exploded to more than 2,200 acres and within 12 hours grew to 3,049 acres, according to Cal Fire.

Firefighters fully contained the fire on Thursday after it had held steady at 4,037 acres.
Find out what’s happening in Malibufor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Check out more aerial images of the Franklin Fire, including before and after shots of the Malibu area,