Wildfire near Motta San Giovanni
True color
Fire (SWIR)
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.
🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire
Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.
Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).
Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature from an active wildfire near Motta San Giovanni, Italy, where 13 heat detections have been registered over the past 48 hours. The blaze, which covers an area of 200 hectares, or 494 acres, has been burning since August 21, 2026, within a region where the typical fire season runs from June to October.
This incident unfolds during a particularly severe year for the country, with 87,113 hectares having burned so far in 2026, a figure that sits 52% above the two-decade average.
In context
This wildfire has been burning in Italy for 1 day. So far it has affected roughly 200 ha (494 acres) — about 2.0 km².
In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.
The bigger picture in Italy
Across Italy, roughly 87,113 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 52% above the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus EFFIS.
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Community reports
Reports from people near the fire · unverified
Not official emergency information. In an emergency, contact fire services/authorities.