Wildfire near Portel (Sep 16), Portugal (2026)

Wildfire near Portel (Sep 16) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Portel (Sep 16) — 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

Key facts

Source: NASA FIRMS

Official statusIn ProgressActive, with crews working on it.

JurisdictionANEPC

Travelling nearby?Travel status for The Algarve (147 km)

The story so far

Summary written on Sep 17, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

An active wildfire is currently burning near Portel, Portugal, having consumed 530 hectares, or 1,310 acres, since it started on September 16, 2026. Satellites are currently picking up a moderate heat signature from the fire front, alongside 19 heat detections clustering nearby over the past 48 hours to indicate the current spread of the incident.

This event occurs within Portugal's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Broader figures show that 66,773 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, tracking 37% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Portugal for 1 day. In total it burned about 530 ha (1,310 acres) — around 5.3 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.