Wildfire near Jalapa (Aug 14), Mexico (2026)

Wildfire near Jalapa (Aug 14) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Jalapa (Aug 14) — 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 Aug 15, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning near the city of Jalapa, Mexico, an active wildfire has scorched 100 hectares, equivalent to 247 acres, since it started on August 14, 2026. Satellites are currently picking up a low heat signature from the fire front, accompanied by eight heat detections nearby over the past 48 hours that trace its local spread.

This incident unfolds during a regional fire season that typically runs from March to June. The wider national context shows that 1,282,357 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, tracking 70% below the two-decade average.

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.