Wildfire near Pau-de-Óleo, Brazil (2026)

Wildfire near Pau-de-Óleo — NASA satellite

Yesterday's image: fire shows in orange and red. NASA MODIS

The story so far

About 15 km north of Pau-de-Óleo.

Summary written on Sep 23, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

An intense wildfire is actively burning near Pau-de-Óleo, Brazil, having already consumed 450 hectares (1,112 acres) since it started on September 21, 2026. Over its two days of burning, the fire has maintained an average daily growth of approximately 225 hectares per day, driven by conditions typical of the region's active fire season which spans from August to October.

Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature from the active front, accompanied by 20 heat detections clustered nearby over the past 48 hours to indicate the current spread of the blaze.

This incident unfolds within a broader national context where 7,108,839 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 77% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Brazil for 2 days. In total it burned about 450 ha (1,112 acres) — around 4.5 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.