Wildfire near Mendi, Papua New Guinea (2026)

Wildfire near Mendi — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Mendi — 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

Summary written on Oct 25, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

A moderate heat signature is currently being picked up by satellites over an active wildfire burning near Mendi, Papua New Guinea. Having started on October 24, 2026, the ongoing blaze has reached an estimated size of 150 hectares, or 371 acres.

Over the last 48 hours, satellite monitoring has detected 13 distinct heat signatures clustering nearby, highlighting the current extent and activity of the fire front. This incident is unfolding during the dry season, which marks the typical fire season for the region.

In context

This wildfire burned in Papua New Guinea for 2 days. In total it burned about 150 ha (371 acres) — around 1.5 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.