Fire near Bahr el Ghazal occidental (SS)

8.67°N, 25.65°E · first detected on 16 October at 12:47

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 16 October at 12:47 to 21 October at 15:44, that is 5 days, through 201 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 4,126 ha.

Detected extent: 4,126 ha
Cumulative power: 2,338 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 57 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 201
Estimated emissions: 3.6 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 16 October 2026 to 20 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 20 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 8 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
21 October at 17:45	29 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:45	40 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:37	102 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 16:35	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:25	83 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 16:22	212 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 16:15	64 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 16:07	70 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 16:07	41 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:55	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:52	282 MW	7	Met9
21 October at 15:52	192 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 15:45	54 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:44	236 MW	12	Aqua
21 October at 15:37	160 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 15:37	43 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:35	27 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:25	98 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:22	340 MW	8	Met9
21 October at 15:22	238 MW	5	Met10
21 October at 15:15	115 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 15:07	409 MW	8	Met9
21 October at 15:07	294 MW	5	Met10
21 October at 15:05	49 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:55	82 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:52	231 MW	5	Met9
21 October at 14:52	44 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:45	35 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:37	285 MW	6	Met9
21 October at 14:37	102 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 14:36	16 MW	1	N20
21 October at 14:35	49 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:25	96 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:22	433 MW	8	Met9
21 October at 14:17	179 MW	31	N
21 October at 14:15	31 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:07	246 MW	5	Met9
21 October at 14:05	51 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 13:55	93 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 13:52	43 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:45	89 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 13:38	319 MW	54	N21
21 October at 13:37	284 MW	6	Met9
21 October at 13:35	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:25	55 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 13:22	457 MW	7	Met9
21 October at 13:15	93 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:07	386 MW	6	Met9
21 October at 13:05	30 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:56	111 MW	12	N20
21 October at 12:55	25 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:52	482 MW	7	Met9
21 October at 12:45	25 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:37	321 MW	5	Met9
21 October at 12:35	49 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:25	230 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 12:22	713 MW	7	Met9
21 October at 12:15	321 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 12:07	530 MW	5	Met9
21 October at 12:05	289 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 11:55	83 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 11:52	249 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 11:45	36 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 11:37	192 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 11:25	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:22	96 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 11:07	55 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 11:05	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:55	23 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:52	101 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 10:52	40 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:37	33 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:37	42 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 10:22	35 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:22	77 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 10:07	62 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 10:07	45 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 10:05	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 09:55	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 09:52	107 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 09:52	32 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 09:45	35 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 09:37	163 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 09:37	102 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 09:35	83 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 09:35	57 MW	1	Terra
21 October at 09:25	53 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 09:22	44 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 09:22	116 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 09:15	30 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 09:07	75 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 09:07	67 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 09:05	62 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 01:50	1 MW	1	N20
21 October at 01:29	1 MW	1	N
20 October at 16:25	29 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:07	25 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 16:05	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:55	48 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:45	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:25	52 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:15	26 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:05	115 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:55	74 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 14:45	144 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:35	132 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:34	212 MW	22	N
20 October at 14:25	163 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:15	37 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:05	16 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 13:57	593 MW	54	N21
20 October at 13:15	425 MW	26	N20
20 October at 12:53	80 MW	5	N
20 October at 12:22	60 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:07	178 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 11:37	27 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 11:07	234 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 11:05	116 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 10:55	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 10:52	241 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 10:45	58 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 10:35	15 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 10:22	55 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 10:15	20 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 10:05	10 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 09:55	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 09:35	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 09:25	14 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 08:57	5 MW	1	Terra
19 October at 16:35	10 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 16:25	69 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 16:22	162 MW	5	Met9
19 October at 16:15	14 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 16:10	67 MW	4	Aqua
19 October at 16:07	30 MW	1	Met10
19 October at 16:07	83 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 16:05	23 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 15:55	47 MW	3	Met12
19 October at 15:52	37 MW	1	Met10
19 October at 15:52	39 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 15:37	223 MW	5	Met9
19 October at 15:37	146 MW	2	Met10
19 October at 15:35	12 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 15:22	132 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 15:22	104 MW	2	Met10
19 October at 15:15	47 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 15:07	161 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 15:05	23 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 14:55	78 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 14:52	324 MW	5	Met9
19 October at 14:45	173 MW	6	Met12
19 October at 14:37	146 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 14:35	58 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 14:22	84 MW	2	Met9
19 October at 14:17	80 MW	11	N21
19 October at 14:07	112 MW	2	Met9
19 October at 14:05	61 MW	5	Met12
19 October at 13:55	26 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 13:52	56 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 13:37	223 MW	4	Met9
19 October at 13:35	89 MW	5	Met12
19 October at 13:32	154 MW	23	N20
19 October at 13:25	12 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 13:22	166 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 13:15	115 MW	6	Met12
19 October at 13:13	68 MW	10	N
19 October at 13:07	58 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 13:05	57 MW	3	Met12
19 October at 12:55	36 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 12:52	122 MW	2	Met9
19 October at 12:45	85 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 12:37	107 MW	2	Met9
19 October at 12:35	17 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 12:25	183 MW	6	Met12
19 October at 12:22	262 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 12:15	111 MW	3	Met12
19 October at 12:07	619 MW	5	Met9
19 October at 12:05	382 MW	7	Met12
19 October at 11:55	118 MW	3	Met12
19 October at 11:52	477 MW	4	Met9
19 October at 11:45	130 MW	3	Met12
19 October at 11:37	295 MW	4	Met9
19 October at 11:35	201 MW	5	Met12
19 October at 11:25	147 MW	6	Met12
19 October at 11:22	77 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 11:15	77 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 11:05	25 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 10:55	23 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 10:25	26 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 10:05	25 MW	1	Met12
18 October at 13:51	71 MW	7	N20
18 October at 13:32	258 MW	15	N
18 October at 12:56	13 MW	2	N21
17 October at 14:10	4 MW	1	N20
17 October at 13:49	12 MW	3	N
16 October at 15:53	14 MW	2	Aqua
16 October at 14:10	13 MW	3	N
16 October at 13:32	29 MW	6	N21
16 October at 12:47	22 MW	2	N20
15 October at 14:27	8 MW	2	N
15 October at 13:51	13 MW	2	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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