Wildfire near Bitung, Indonesia (2026)

Wildfire near Bitung — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Bitung — 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 15 km northeast of Bitung.

A moderate satellite heat signature marked the final stages of a 28-day wildfire near Bitung, Indonesia, which has now ended after starting on September 24, 2026. During its nearly month-long duration, the fire spread across an estimated 230 hectares, or 568 acres, burning through the local landscape typical of the dry season.

In the final 48 hours before containment, satellite observations picked up two distinct heat detections nearby, reflecting the lingering thermal activity of the event. While this individual fire affected a modest area, it unfolded against a much broader national crisis. Across the country, 7,910,815 hectares have burned so far in 2026, a staggering figure that sits 122% above the two-decade average for the region.

In context

This wildfire burned in Indonesia for 2 days. In total it burned about 230 ha (568 acres) — around 2.3 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.