Wildfire near Playa del Carmen (Aug 1), Mexico (2026)

Wildfire near Playa del Carmen (Aug 1) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Playa del Carmen (Aug 1) — 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 25 km west of Playa del Carmen.

Summary written on Aug 2, 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 100 hectares, or 247 acres, is currently showing a moderate heat signature according to satellite observations since it started on August 1, 2026. Satellites have registered four heat detections over the past 48 hours in the vicinity, illustrating the localized spread of the active front.

This incident unfolds during a broader national fire landscape where 1,268,128 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 71% below the country's two-decade average. While the broader region typically experiences its fire season from March to June, this August fire remains an active concern locally.

In context

This wildfire burned in Mexico for 2 days. In total it burned about 100 ha (247 acres) — around 1.0 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.