POLLUTION

Photos, Aerial Images Show the Extent of Oil Spill Off California's Coast

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Water is contaminated with oil in the Talbert Marsh, which is home to around 90 bird species, after a 126,000-gallon oil spill from an offshore oil platform on Oct. 4, 2021, in Huntington Beach, Calif. The spill forced the closure of the popular Great Pacific Airshow yesterday with authorities closing beaches in the vicinity. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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Water is contaminated with oil in the Talbert Marsh, which is home to around 90 bird species, after a 126,000-gallon oil spill from an offshore oil platform on Oct. 4, 2021, in Huntington Beach, Calif. The spill forced the closure of the popular Great Pacific Airshow yesterday with authorities closing beaches in the vicinity. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Aerial photos show what a 126,000-gallon oil spill really looks like.

The oil slick is visible from above, as well as oil washed upon the sand at Huntington State Beach. Birds can be seen feeding amidst the spill, a reminder of what's at stake as the cleanup continues.

The spill occurred off of Huntington Beach in California, US, when an oil pipeline owned by Amplify ruptured last weekend. Reports came out Wednesday that the company waited more than 3 hours after an alarm sounded to shut off the pipeline, according to the Associated Press.

According to Reuters, Huntington Beach mayor Kim Carr said the spill covered roughly 13 miles of coastline.

Crews continued to clean up oil on Wednesday. Wildlife officials were working to rescue birds from the slick, but Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley tweeted that dead birds and fish were washing ashore.

Click through the slideshow above to see the extent of the ecological disaster.

MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: Photos from California's Devastating Oil Spill

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Oil floats on the water surface after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday, to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

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Oil floats on the water surface after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday, to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

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