Wildfire near Merauke (Oct 17 · NE #2), Indonesia (2026)

Wildfire near Merauke (Oct 17 · NE #2) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Merauke (Oct 17 · NE #2) — 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

A low-intensity wildfire that burned in Indonesia near the city of Merauke during the dry season has officially ended after a 12-day run that began on October 17, 2026. Satellites detected a low heat signature and registered just a single heat detection over the final 48 hours, pointing to the final cooling of the footprint. The incident reached an estimated size of 550 hectares, which translates to roughly 1,359 acres based on satellite estimates.

This event unfolds against a broader backdrop of intense fire activity across the country. So far in 2026, a total of 8,535,458 hectares have burned nationwide, a figure that tracking shows is 139% above the two-decade average for the country.

In context

This wildfire burned in Indonesia for 2 days. In total it burned about 550 ha (1,359 acres) — around 5.5 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.