Wildfire near Altamira (Aug 5), Brazil (2026)

Wildfire near Altamira (Aug 5) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Altamira (Aug 5) — 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

Summary written on Aug 6, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature from a 600-hectare (1,483-acre) active wildfire burning near Altamira, Brazil, where 24 heat detections have been registered over the last 48 hours. The blaze began on August 5, 2026, and unfolds against the backdrop of the region's typical fire season, which runs from August to October.

Despite this active incident, the broader national landscape shows a different trend. A total of 2,223,455 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a significant 93 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Brazil for 2 days. In total it burned about 600 ha (1,483 acres) — around 6.0 km². That size is an estimate from satellite hotspots, not a measured area.

Close to the tropics, fires tend to follow the dry season and are often linked to land-clearing rather than a single summer peak.