Massive wildfires are tearing across the Southwest — and the images are unreal

The West is having a major heatwave, with temperatures hitting more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas.

And along with the heat are coming some damaging wildfires in southern California, New Mexico, and Arizona covering tens of thousands of acres of land and displacing hundreds of families. Firefighters are working to contain the blazes, though the continued heat wave through the weekend could complicate things. 

Check out some of the striking snapshots of the massive fires over the week. 

SEE ALSO: Archaeologists just found a huge structure in a 2,000-year-old city using satellites and drones

DON'T MISS: A bear wandered into someone's backyard pool in southern California — and it's actually not that uncommon

In southern California, the "Sherpa Fire" broke out Wednesday afternoon around Santa Barbara. Here, a firefighter fends off flames as they come near a home in California early on Thursday morning.

The smoke has made its way over the Pacific, as seen by satellite.

As of Friday, it was covering more than 4,000 acres of land, and hundreds of homes have been evacuated so far.

Source: LA Times