LA residents rushing to flee wildfires this week faced choke points, gridlock and the tough decision of whether to abandon their cars to the fire.

The Eaton Fire destroyed homes in Altadena Calif., a town northeast of Pasadena. The image was captured Jan. 8 by Maxar Technologies' shortwave infrared sensor. This sensor has the ability to see through the dense smoke of an active fire to the ground beneath, as well as locating the flame front and hot spots in the fire, according to Maxar.

Firefighters battled Thursday to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed seven people, burned at least 10,000 structures from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.