Wildfire near Apatou (Sep 20), France (2026)

Part of a series of fires in the same area. The main one: Wildfire near Apatou (Oct 15)

Wildfire near Apatou (Sep 20) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Apatou (Sep 20) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego)

True view Fire view

⟷

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

Burning near Apatou, France, a wildfire monitored over a span of thirty-seven days starting from September 20, 2026, has now ended. During its activity, satellites picked up an intense heat signature from the front, while the fire reached an estimated size of 300 hectares, or 741 acres, based on satellite hotspots.

This event occurred within a region where the typical fire season runs from June to September. The broader national context shows that 98,523 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure 568% above the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in France for 2 days. In total it burned about 300 ha (741 acres) — around 3.0 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.