Wildfire near Montalegre, Portugal (2026)

Wildfire near Montalegre — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Montalegre — 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 southwest of Montalegre.

An active wildfire is currently burning near Montalegre, Portugal, having started on November 2, 2026. Satellites have registered a low heat intensity from the fire, alongside 5 heat detections in the past 48 hours, pointing to the recent spread across the area. The fire has reached an estimated size of 100 hectares, equivalent to 247 acres, based on satellite observations.

This incident unfolds during a wider national context where 71,525 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 32 percent below the two-decade average for the country. Typically, the region experiences its fire season from June to October, placing this November activity outside the conventional window.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Portugal for 1 day. So far it has affected roughly 100 ha (247 acres) — about 1.0 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.