Wildfire near Helmas, Albania (2026)

Wildfire near Helmas — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Helmas — 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 Sep 8, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

An active wildfire is currently burning near the city of Helmas, Albania, having scorched 280 hectares, or approximately 692 acres, since it started on September 7, 2026. This incident occurs within the region's typical fire season, which spans the warm and dry months roughly from May to October.

Satellites monitoring the area are picking up a moderate heat signature from the active front, alongside 11 recent heat detections recorded over a 48-hour period in the surrounding vicinity, illustrating the current extent of the fire's reach.

In context

This wildfire burned in Albania for 2 days. In total it burned about 280 ha (692 acres) — around 2.8 km². That size is an estimate from satellite hotspots, not a measured area.

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.