Fire near Queensland (AU)

18.73°S, 142.81°E · first detected on 18 October at 01:12

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 18 October at 01:12 to 21 October at 19:54, that is 4 days, through 1,344 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 19,298 ha.

Detected extent: 19,298 ha
Cumulative power: 12,485 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 342 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 1,344
Estimated emissions: 33.8 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 17 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).

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 6 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 19:54	5 MW	1	Aqua
21 October at 18:33	53 MW	9	N
21 October at 17:56	7 MW	2	N21
21 October at 14:17	27 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 13:47	36 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 13:38	15 MW	1	Terra
21 October at 12:07	31 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 11:57	46 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 11:47	83 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 11:37	119 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 11:27	200 MW	4	Him9
21 October at 11:17	204 MW	3	Him9
21 October at 11:07	22 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 10:57	21 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 10:47	46 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 10:07	62 MW	1	Him9
21 October at 09:57	93 MW	2	Him9
21 October at 06:44	107 MW	13	N21
21 October at 06:01	270 MW	18	N20
21 October at 05:42	91 MW	12	N
21 October at 01:29	88 MW	2	Terra
20 October at 18:52	8 MW	3	N
20 October at 18:13	45 MW	16	N21
20 October at 17:29	49 MW	22	N20
20 October at 17:09	20 MW	16	N
20 October at 15:57	16 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 15:47	34 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 15:37	21 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 12:07	39 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 11:57	61 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 11:47	82 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 11:37	140 MW	3	Him9
20 October at 11:27	98 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 11:17	212 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 08:27	223 MW	14	Aqua
20 October at 07:04	123 MW	5	N21
20 October at 06:19	514 MW	61	N20
20 October at 06:17	494 MW	3	Him9
20 October at 06:07	609 MW	3	Him9
20 October at 06:00	832 MW	46	N
20 October at 05:47	223 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 05:37	578 MW	4	Him9
20 October at 05:27	95 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 05:21	624 MW	57	N21
20 October at 05:07	310 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 04:57	73 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 04:27	163 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 04:07	836 MW	4	Him9
20 October at 03:57	529 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 03:47	594 MW	3	Him9
20 October at 03:37	394 MW	4	Him9
20 October at 03:27	328 MW	2	Him9
20 October at 03:17	74 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 03:07	86 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 02:37	230 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 02:07	31 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 01:17	55 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 00:50	718 MW	44	Terra
20 October at 00:47	81 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 00:37	90 MW	1	Him9
20 October at 00:27	146 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 23:47	103 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 23:37	25 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 22:37	30 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 22:27	14 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 21:57	91 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 21:47	23 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 21:27	17 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 21:17	26 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 20:57	32 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 20:47	18 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 20:37	41 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 20:17	582 MW	24	Aqua
19 October at 20:17	23 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 19:57	37 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 19:47	64 MW	3	Him9
19 October at 19:37	98 MW	4	Him9
19 October at 19:07	62 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 18:47	31 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 18:35	809 MW	141	N21
19 October at 18:27	25 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 18:17	30 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 18:07	53 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 17:57	98 MW	3	Him9
19 October at 17:50	1,032 MW	259	N20
19 October at 17:47	76 MW	3	Him9
19 October at 17:37	657 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 17:31	1,313 MW	212	N
19 October at 17:27	1,215 MW	10	Him9
19 October at 17:17	335 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 17:07	851 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 16:57	1,374 MW	8	Him9
19 October at 16:52	2,185 MW	175	N21
19 October at 16:37	952 MW	9	Him9
19 October at 16:27	1,303 MW	9	Him9
19 October at 16:17	698 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 16:07	444 MW	3	Him9
19 October at 15:57	486 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 15:47	560 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 15:37	451 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 15:27	438 MW	6	Him9
19 October at 15:17	1,033 MW	10	Him9
19 October at 15:07	1,038 MW	9	Him9
19 October at 14:57	1,939 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 14:47	82 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 14:37	1,230 MW	8	Him9
19 October at 14:27	731 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 14:17	456 MW	4	Him9
19 October at 14:07	1,166 MW	10	Him9
19 October at 14:00	1,266 MW	10	Terra
19 October at 13:57	773 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 13:47	850 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 13:37	653 MW	6	Him9
19 October at 13:27	569 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 13:17	901 MW	6	Him9
19 October at 13:07	484 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 12:57	516 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 12:47	342 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 12:37	334 MW	4	Him9
19 October at 12:27	355 MW	3	Him9
19 October at 12:17	725 MW	6	Him9
19 October at 12:07	348 MW	4	Him9
19 October at 11:57	298 MW	3	Him9
19 October at 11:47	505 MW	4	Him9
19 October at 11:37	635 MW	6	Him9
19 October at 11:27	1,004 MW	7	Him9
19 October at 11:17	398 MW	4	Him9
19 October at 11:07	454 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 10:57	270 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 10:47	236 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 10:37	281 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 10:27	218 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 10:17	580 MW	3	Him9
19 October at 10:07	194 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 08:17	60 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 07:48	52 MW	1	Aqua
19 October at 07:17	315 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 06:57	106 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 06:38	518 MW	50	N20
19 October at 06:37	331 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 06:27	420 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 06:17	290 MW	40	N
19 October at 06:17	339 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 05:47	92 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 05:42	195 MW	27	N21
19 October at 05:07	675 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 04:57	75 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 04:37	93 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 03:57	338 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 03:37	89 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 03:27	63 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 03:17	95 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 03:07	106 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 02:57	1,141 MW	5	Him9
19 October at 02:47	141 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 02:37	173 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 02:27	75 MW	1	Him9
19 October at 02:17	193 MW	2	Him9
19 October at 02:07	205 MW	2	Him9
18 October at 18:07	9 MW	11	N20
18 October at 17:48	10 MW	11	N
18 October at 17:12	23 MW	12	N21
18 October at 13:19	47 MW	4	Terra
18 October at 06:57	24 MW	3	N20
18 October at 06:38	252 MW	17	N
18 October at 06:00	2 MW	1	N21
18 October at 05:15	44 MW	3	N20
18 October at 01:12	42 MW	1	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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