Fire near Bahr el Ghazal occidental (SS)

8.13°N, 27.64°E · first detected on 2 October at 12:53

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 2 October at 12:53 to 22 October at 14:17, that is 20 days, through 1,800 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 35,811 ha.

Detected extent: 35,811 ha
Cumulative power: 12,498 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 66 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 1,800
Estimated emissions: 838 t of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 5 October 2026 to 21 October 2026. An order-of-magnitude estimate from GFAS (ECMWF, Copernicus CAMS): it also counts neighbouring fires in the same cell. Contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information (2026). Published data stop on 21 October 2026.

These four figures cover the polar orbits alone, the ones that measure an area. The pass table below also counts geostationary detections, more frequent but too coarse for geometry, and its power column sums a whole pass where the peak above is that of a single pixel.

“Detected extent” is not “burned area”: it is the union of the ground footprints of the satellite pixels, and a pixel counts in full (375 m for VIIRS, 1 km for MODIS) even when only a forest edge is burning. Compared with press figures it is in practice one and a half to three times the area reported. Detections taken at the edge of the scan swath, too coarse to measure anything at all, are excluded. These figures come from thermal detection and are not an official assessment: only the emergency services and the competent authorities are authoritative.

Replay how the fire spread

The map is framed on this fire's footprint and loads only its detections. The timeline below covers the period in which satellites saw it, from the first to the last detection, with twelve hours before and twenty-four after; the ticks on the bar mark the emergency services' announcements that fall within it. The cursor opens on the most powerful pass, and playback replays the whole fire in about thirty seconds. “1 h” shows what is burning within an hour of the chosen moment : the map then follows the power curve below and empties when it falls. “24 h” stacks twenty-four hours : a fire stays visible between two satellite passes, which come two to four times a day. Both are true, but they say different things.

How the radiative power evolved

One point per satellite pass: the sum of the fire radiative power measured over the fire. This is the curve that says whether the fire eased off or picked up again, which no cumulative figure shows. The window covers 23 days; beyond that, clustering would merge two successive fires in the same place.

Fire dynamics

Loading history…

Satellite passes in detail

Pass	Power summed over the pass	Detections	Sensor
22 October at 18:55	62 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:08	21 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 18:07	16 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:37	30 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:35	14 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:25	44 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 17:22	104 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 17:22	108 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 17:15	23 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:07	33 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:55	30 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:52	99 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:45	34 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:37	30 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:35	40 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:25	12 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:22	24 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:15	40 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:07	28 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:05	35 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:55	23 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:52	173 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 15:45	37 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:37	186 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:35	27 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:25	96 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 15:22	142 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:15	235 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 15:07	170 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 15:05	278 MW	15	Met12
22 October at 14:55	452 MW	24	Met12
22 October at 14:52	556 MW	11	Met9
22 October at 14:52	163 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:45	369 MW	23	Met12
22 October at 14:37	177 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 14:37	87 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:35	176 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 14:25	179 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 14:22	373 MW	9	Met9
22 October at 14:17	718 MW	117	N20
22 October at 14:15	154 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 14:07	128 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:05	104 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:55	193 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:55	1,819 MW	275	N
22 October at 13:52	408 MW	8	Met9
22 October at 13:45	109 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 13:37	387 MW	8	Met9
22 October at 13:35	270 MW	15	Met12
22 October at 13:25	170 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:22	96 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 13:19	1,509 MW	251	N21
22 October at 13:15	198 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 13:07	514 MW	9	Met9
22 October at 13:05	251 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 12:55	267 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 12:52	525 MW	10	Met9
22 October at 12:45	289 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 12:37	283 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 12:35	274 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 12:25	390 MW	16	Met12
22 October at 12:22	225 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:15	311 MW	17	Met12
22 October at 12:07	283 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 12:05	258 MW	15	Met12
22 October at 11:55	274 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 11:52	419 MW	7	Met9
22 October at 11:45	247 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 11:37	375 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 11:35	287 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 11:25	236 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 11:22	341 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 11:15	27 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 11:07	243 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 11:05	140 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 10:55	43 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 10:45	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 17:05	50 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:45	37 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:37	235 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 16:25	56 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 16:15	87 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 16:07	48 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 16:07	34 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 16:05	81 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 15:55	80 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:52	93 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 15:45	120 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 15:44	323 MW	28	Aqua
21 October at 15:37	65 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 15:37	110 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 15:35	125 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 15:25	71 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 15:15	24 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:05	38 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:55	63 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 14:52	30 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:45	91 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 14:37	88 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 14:35	148 MW	11	Met12
21 October at 14:25	125 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 14:22	33 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:17	529 MW	97	N
21 October at 14:15	44 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:05	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:55	58 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 13:45	96 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 13:38	1,044 MW	147	N21
21 October at 13:35	105 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 13:25	54 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 13:15	29 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:05	91 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 12:55	239 MW	38	N20
21 October at 12:55	49 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:45	30 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:35	55 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 12:25	108 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:22	57 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 12:15	38 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:07	52 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 12:05	75 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 11:55	50 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 11:45	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:35	18 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:25	64 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 11:15	36 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 11:05	40 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:45	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:35	55 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 16:25	54 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 16:15	103 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 16:07	145 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 16:05	45 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 15:55	50 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 15:52	62 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:45	32 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:37	36 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 15:37	61 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:35	114 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 15:25	81 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 15:22	257 MW	7	Met9
20 October at 15:22	158 MW	4	Met10
20 October at 15:15	112 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 15:07	68 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:07	111 MW	3	Met10
20 October at 15:05	165 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 14:55	91 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:52	52 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:52	116 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 14:45	160 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 14:37	180 MW	5	Met9
20 October at 14:37	44 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:35	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:34	41 MW	6	N
20 October at 14:25	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:22	36 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:05	24 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:57	793 MW	87	N21
20 October at 13:55	50 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:25	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 13:15	413 MW	73	N20
20 October at 13:15	15 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 13:05	29 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 12:55	51 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:53	109 MW	15	N
20 October at 12:45	71 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:37	47 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:35	109 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 12:25	74 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 12:22	80 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:15	142 MW	9	Met12
20 October at 12:07	46 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:05	51 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 11:55	87 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 11:45	54 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 11:35	36 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 11:15	38 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 10:55	10 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 10:52	37 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 10:45	29 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 10:05	12 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 16:08	336 MW	15	Aqua
19 October at 14:17	302 MW	30	N21
19 October at 13:32	742 MW	122	N20
19 October at 13:11	332 MW	51	N
19 October at 12:36	232 MW	19	N21
18 October at 13:51	42 MW	8	N20
18 October at 13:32	69 MW	11	N
18 October at 12:53	55 MW	10	N21
17 October at 14:10	22 MW	3	N20
17 October at 13:49	2 MW	1	N
17 October at 13:13	8 MW	2	N21
16 October at 13:32	2 MW	1	N21
16 October at 12:47	8 MW	1	N20
15 October at 14:27	129 MW	22	N
15 October at 13:51	639 MW	94	N21
15 October at 13:08	338 MW	47	N20
15 October at 12:47	26 MW	3	N
14 October at 14:10	93 MW	11	N21
14 October at 13:25	527 MW	71	N20
14 October at 13:06	173 MW	29	N
13 October at 15:38	15 MW	1	Aqua
13 October at 13:45	44 MW	5	N20
12 October at 13:08	145 MW	18	N21
10 October at 14:21	15 MW	3	N
10 October at 13:45	93 MW	12	N21
10 October at 13:02	60 MW	10	N20
9 October at 14:04	80 MW	14	N21
9 October at 13:19	116 MW	15	N20
9 October at 13:00	3 MW	1	N
8 October at 13:38	71 MW	17	N20
8 October at 13:19	49 MW	10	N
7 October at 13:57	28 MW	5	N20
7 October at 13:38	20 MW	5	N
7 October at 13:02	14 MW	2	N21
6 October at 13:55	15 MW	3	N
6 October at 13:19	8 MW	1	N21
5 October at 15:27	18 MW	1	Aqua
5 October at 14:17	40 MW	8	N
5 October at 13:38	194 MW	25	N21
5 October at 12:53	8 MW	2	N20
4 October at 14:34	3 MW	1	N
4 October at 13:57	69 MW	8	N21
4 October at 13:15	119 MW	14	N20
4 October at 12:53	20 MW	4	N
3 October at 15:50	13 MW	2	Aqua
3 October at 14:17	42 MW	2	N21
3 October at 13:32	51 MW	11	N20
3 October at 13:10	45 MW	8	N
3 October at 12:36	12 MW	2	N21
2 October at 12:53	4 MW	1	N21

8 other fires near Bahr el Ghazal occidental (SS)

Separate fires, apart in time or in space, not pieces of this one. A single municipality can have several over one summer, and a forest massif often covers more than a hundred square kilometres.

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