Wildfire near Pugmil (Sep 17), Brazil (2026)

Wildfire near Pugmil (Sep 17) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Pugmil (Sep 17) — 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 east of Pugmil.

Summary written on Sep 18, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature from the active wildfire burning near Pugmil, Brazil, which has scorched 300 hectares (741 acres) since it started on September 17, 2026. Orbiting equipment has registered 12 heat detections in the past 48 hours, highlighting the extent of the spread in the area.

This incident occurs during the region's typical fire season, which runs from August to October. Despite this local activity, the broader national picture shows that 5,866,295 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking an 81% decrease compared to the two-decade average for the country.

In context

This wildfire burned in Brazil for 2 days. In total it burned about 300 ha (741 acres) — around 3.0 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.