Wildfire, Iraq (2026) — Map & Containment

True view Fire view

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True view (left): as the eye sees it.
Fire view (right): infrared (SWIR), sees through smoke and brings out the heat.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 brown = already burned
🟠 orange = fire right now

Drag to compare: normal photo on the left, heat brought out on the right.

Green: vegetationBrown: already burnedOrange: fire right nowSentinel-2 · Copernicus

The story so far

Summary written on Aug 2, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

An active wildfire in Iraq has scorched 850 hectares, equivalent to 2,100 acres, since it started on August 2, 2026. Orbiting equipment is tracking the scale of the incident, with satellites picking up an intense heat signature while registering 31 heat detections over the past 48 hours in the surrounding area.

This ongoing fire activity unfolds within Iraq's typical fire season, which encompasses the warm, dry months running roughly from May to October.

In context

This wildfire burned in Iraq for 2 days. In total it burned about 1,050 ha (2,595 acres) — around 11 km². That size is an estimate from satellite hotspots, not a measured area.

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.