Wildfire near Pulau Maya, Indonesia (2026)

Wildfire near Pulau Maya — NASA satellite

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

The story so far

Summary written on Sep 20, 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 Pulau Maya, Indonesia, where 17 heat detections have been registered over the past 48 hours. The blaze, which covers 250 hectares or 618 acres, began on September 19, 2026, and is currently burning during the dry season.

This incident unfolds within a broader national context where 4,497,134 hectares have burned so far in 2026, tracking 26% above the two-decade average for Indonesia.

In context

This wildfire burned in Indonesia for 2 days. In total it burned about 150 ha (371 acres) — around 1.5 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.