Wildfire near Sarājīq, Iraq (2026)

Wildfire near Sarājīq — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Sarājīq — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego)

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

About 35 km northeast of Sarājīq.

Summary written on Jul 23, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

An active wildfire in Iraq has scorched 880 hectares (2,175 acres) since it began on July 22, 2026. Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature from the burning front.

The fire has exhibited significant localized spread, with 36 heat detections recorded in the area over the last 48 hours.

In context

This wildfire burned in Iraq for 2 days. In total it burned about 880 ha (2,175 acres) — around 8.8 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.