Fire near Queensland (AU)

17.01°S, 142.87°E · first detected on 8 October at 13:23

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 8 October at 13:23 to 23 October at 01:09, that is 14 days, through 4,531 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 89,048 ha.

Detected extent: 89,048 ha
Cumulative power: 91,325 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 561 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 4,531
Estimated emissions: 66.1 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 8 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.

The detected extent

Outline of the burned area near Queensland (AU), drawn over satellite imagery — The outline is the union of the ground footprints of every satellite detection of this fire, from the first pass to the last. The background is the EOX cloudless Sentinel-2 mosaic, 2024 vintage: it shows the landscape BEFORE these fires, not the burn scar.

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 17 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
23 October at 05:57	260 MW	2	Him9
23 October at 05:47	223 MW	2	Him9
23 October at 05:37	219 MW	2	Him9
23 October at 05:27	43 MW	1	Him9
23 October at 05:17	130 MW	2	Him9
23 October at 01:09	88 MW	5	Terra
22 October at 20:17	147 MW	3	Him9
22 October at 20:07	248 MW	3	Him9
22 October at 19:57	121 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 19:47	41 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 18:13	6 MW	5	N
22 October at 17:35	28 MW	14	N21
22 October at 15:37	50 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 15:27	114 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 15:17	74 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 15:07	166 MW	4	Him9
22 October at 14:57	61 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 14:47	52 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 14:37	16 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 14:17	181 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 14:07	80 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 13:57	62 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 13:47	249 MW	4	Him9
22 October at 13:37	196 MW	4	Him9
22 October at 13:27	56 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 13:17	61 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 13:07	26 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 12:47	34 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 12:38	17 MW	1	Terra
22 October at 12:37	22 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 11:57	42 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 11:47	73 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 11:37	23 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 11:27	21 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 11:17	26 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 11:07	25 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 10:27	48 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 10:17	47 MW	2	Him9
22 October at 10:07	26 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 09:57	30 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 09:47	29 MW	1	Him9
22 October at 02:27	131 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 22:27	29 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 22:07	15 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 21:57	19 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 21:47	13 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 21:27	16 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 21:07	15 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 20:57	29 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 20:47	64 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 20:37	74 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 20:27	119 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 20:17	62 MW	3	Him9
21 October at 20:07	193 MW	4	Him9
21 October at 19:57	167 MW	3	Him9
21 October at 19:54	158 MW	10	Aqua
21 October at 19:47	48 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 19:37	22 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 19:27	20 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 18:33	51 MW	13	N
21 October at 17:54	25 MW	10	N21
21 October at 17:27	192 MW	5	Him9
21 October at 17:17	302 MW	5	Him9
21 October at 17:09	230 MW	36	N20
21 October at 17:07	278 MW	5	Him9
21 October at 16:37	60 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 16:27	132 MW	4	Him9
21 October at 15:17	172 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 13:38	94 MW	2	Terra
21 October at 13:27	47 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 13:17	24 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 12:57	916 MW	3	Him9
21 October at 09:57	50 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 08:57	38 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 06:46	64 MW	7	N21
21 October at 06:02	191 MW	15	N20
21 October at 05:42	85 MW	14	N
21 October at 01:29	134 MW	2	Terra
20 October at 18:50	5 MW	2	N
20 October at 18:13	11 MW	6	N21
20 October at 17:29	24 MW	15	N20
20 October at 17:09	9 MW	8	N
20 October at 14:47	16 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 14:07	17 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 13:57	18 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 13:47	35 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 13:17	138 MW	3	Him9
20 October at 13:07	185 MW	4	Him9
20 October at 13:00	87 MW	9	Terra
20 October at 12:57	22 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 09:37	33 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 09:17	225 MW	4	Him9
20 October at 09:07	27 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 08:57	108 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 08:27	410 MW	2	Aqua
20 October at 08:27	293 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 08:17	283 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 06:19	81 MW	7	N20
20 October at 06:00	74 MW	8	N
20 October at 05:47	191 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 05:37	120 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 05:23	266 MW	33	N21
20 October at 05:17	589 MW	6	Him9
20 October at 05:07	46 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 04:57	72 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 04:37	186 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 04:17	325 MW	3	Him9
20 October at 03:57	453 MW	5	Him9
20 October at 03:37	64 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 03:27	341 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 03:17	77 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 02:47	256 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 02:07	104 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 00:50	53 MW	3	Terra
19 October at 06:38	5 MW	1	N20
19 October at 06:19	2 MW	1	N
19 October at 05:42	6 MW	1	N21
18 October at 17:48	0 MW	1	N
18 October at 08:48	292 MW	4	Aqua
18 October at 06:57	55 MW	5	N20
18 October at 06:38	97 MW	6	N
18 October at 06:02	25 MW	4	N21
17 October at 18:26	20 MW	11	N20
17 October at 18:05	79 MW	21	N
17 October at 17:31	90 MW	24	N21
17 October at 06:55	296 MW	34	N
17 October at 06:19	175 MW	16	N21
17 October at 05:36	347 MW	42	N20
16 October at 17:48	96 MW	43	N21
16 October at 17:03	51 MW	24	N20
16 October at 07:16	95 MW	8	N
16 October at 06:38	1,555 MW	106	N21
16 October at 05:55	1,065 MW	50	N20
16 October at 01:29	460 MW	6	Terra
15 October at 18:43	22 MW	14	N
15 October at 18:07	65 MW	32	N21
15 October at 17:24	82 MW	37	N20
15 October at 17:03	49 MW	21	N
15 October at 13:02	10 MW	1	Terra
15 October at 08:33	203 MW	11	Aqua
15 October at 06:57	417 MW	18	N21
15 October at 06:14	956 MW	106	N20
15 October at 05:53	897 MW	87	N
15 October at 05:19	704 MW	75	N21
15 October at 00:52	800 MW	31	Terra
14 October at 20:24	510 MW	18	Aqua
14 October at 18:26	743 MW	151	N21
14 October at 17:41	331 MW	63	N20
14 October at 17:22	37 MW	10	N
14 October at 07:55	250 MW	2	Aqua
14 October at 06:32	2,754 MW	179	N20
14 October at 06:14	1,706 MW	142	N
14 October at 05:36	2,703 MW	115	N21
13 October at 18:03	103 MW	75	N20
13 October at 17:41	84 MW	59	N
13 October at 17:03	117 MW	66	N21
13 October at 13:21	1,049 MW	34	Terra
13 October at 08:54	3,939 MW	29	Aqua
13 October at 01:12	512 MW	24	Terra
12 October at 18:20	174 MW	70	N20
12 October at 17:24	610 MW	136	N21
12 October at 08:16	9,045 MW	110	Aqua
12 October at 07:10	1,325 MW	46	N20
12 October at 06:51	10,534 MW	230	N
12 October at 06:14	15,650 MW	249	N21
12 October at 05:30	9,950 MW	304	N20
12 October at 00:33	1,362 MW	17	Terra
11 October at 18:37	91 MW	35	N20
11 October at 18:20	160 MW	70	N
11 October at 17:41	252 MW	109	N21
11 October at 16:59	220 MW	57	N20
11 October at 13:42	39 MW	2	Terra
11 October at 07:10	164 MW	15	N
11 October at 06:32	1,477 MW	63	N21
11 October at 05:47	1,625 MW	112	N20
11 October at 05:28	968 MW	51	N
11 October at 01:31	242 MW	7	Terra
10 October at 19:30	73 MW	2	Aqua
10 October at 18:37	136 MW	41	N
10 October at 18:01	165 MW	24	N21
10 October at 17:18	19 MW	6	N20
10 October at 16:59	95 MW	17	N
10 October at 13:04	572 MW	24	Terra
10 October at 06:53	52 MW	3	N21
10 October at 06:08	141 MW	18	N20
10 October at 05:47	251 MW	25	N
10 October at 05:10	400 MW	20	N21
9 October at 18:20	17 MW	11	N21
9 October at 17:35	104 MW	32	N20
9 October at 17:16	43 MW	19	N
9 October at 06:25	515 MW	51	N20
9 October at 06:06	405 MW	44	N
9 October at 05:30	520 MW	62	N21
9 October at 00:14	195 MW	2	Terra
8 October at 19:52	419 MW	12	Aqua
8 October at 18:37	1,125 MW	73	N21
8 October at 17:54	1,537 MW	146	N20
8 October at 17:35	1,944 MW	125	N
8 October at 16:59	1,108 MW	56	N21
8 October at 13:23	2,217 MW	18	Terra

8 other fires near Queensland (AU)

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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