EndedUpdated · Source: NASA FIRMS

Wildfire near Playa del Carmen (Aug 10)

Started · size estimated by satellite

Estimated size
280 hectares
from satellite heat
Lasted
3 days
from Aug 10, 2026
Wildfire near Playa del Carmen (Aug 10) — Sentinel-2 true color Wildfire near Playa del Carmen (Aug 10) — 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

About 30 km west of Playa del Carmen.

Summary written on Aug 11, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning near Playa del Carmen, Mexico, an active wildfire spanning 280 hectares (692 acres) since its start on August 10, 2026, is currently generating an intense heat signature as detected by satellites, with 11 thermal anomalies clustered nearby over the past 48 hours to mark the extent of the spread.

This incident unfolds during a regional fire season that typically runs from March to June, contributing to a broader national total of 1,279,210 hectares burned across Mexico so far in 2026, a figure that remains 70 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Mexico for 2 days. In total it burned about 280 ha (692 acres) — around 2.8 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.

The bigger picture in Mexico

Across Mexico, roughly 1,349,419 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 69% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

Alerts near Playa del Carmen

This fire is over. We'll email you if satellites detect new fire in this area. Free, no account.

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Mexico todayLive
1Active271Hotspots 48h100Hectares
Last 7 days · risingHow many named wildfires were burning on each of the last 7 days. It rises when there are more than on the earlier days.
All Mexico wildfires

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