True view
Fire view
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
Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS
The story so far
Burning across 552 hectares (1,364 acres) of coniferous forest and transitional woodland-shrub near Argentière-la-Bessée, France, a wildfire has finally come to an end after a prolonged 19-day campaign. Throughout its trajectory, the blaze expanded at an average daily growth of approximately 29 hectares per day following its ignition on July 20, 2026.
This prolonged incident unfolded during the region's typical fire season, which traditionally spans from June to September. The local event contributes to a broader national crisis in France, where 93,020 hectares have burned so far in 2026—an alarming figure that surges 530 percent above the country's two-decade average.
In context
This wildfire burned in France for 91 days. In total it burned about 552 ha (1,364 acres) — around 5.5 km².
In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.
The bigger picture in France
Across France, roughly 98,459 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 567% above the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus EFFIS.
Alerts near Argentière-la-Bessée
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