EndedUpdated · Source: NASA FIRMS

Wildfire near Bacalar (Aug 8)

Started · size estimated by satellite

Estimated size
100 hectares
from satellite heat
Lasted
3 days
from Aug 8, 2026
Wildfire near Bacalar (Aug 8) — Sentinel-2 true color Wildfire near Bacalar (Aug 8) — 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

About 35 km northeast of Bacalar.

Burning near Bacalar in Mexico, a 100-hectare (247-acre) wildfire progressed at an average daily growth of approximately 50 hectares per day over a two-day span after starting on August 8, 2026. Satellites picked up a moderate heat signature from the front, with one NASA FIRMS heat detection registered within 48 hours as the fire advanced through the region.

The incident occurred outside the typical fire season for the area, which generally runs from March to June. By the time the fire had ended, the broader national landscape showed that 1,277,957 hectares had burned so far in 2026, marking a figure 70% below the two-decade average for the country.

In context

This wildfire burned in Mexico for 2 days. In total it burned about 100 ha (247 acres) — around 1.0 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.

The bigger picture in Mexico

Across Mexico, roughly 1,349,772 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 69% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

Alerts near Bacalar

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Mexico today7 days
3Fires · 7d141Hotspots 48h300Hectares · 7d
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