ActiveUpdated · Source: Queensland Fire Department

Saibai Island Bushfire

Started

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Burning for
1 day
from Oct 30, 2026
Official warning

No official warning in placeThe fire service has not issued a warning for this fire. If it does, it will show here.

Source: Queensland Fire Department · See the official warning →
Saibai Island Bushfire — Sentinel-2 true color Saibai Island Bushfire — 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: Queensland Fire Department
JurisdictionQFD

The story so far

An active wildfire is currently burning near Saibai Island, Australia, managed by the QFD after starting on October 30, 2026. Satellite observations from the past 48 hours show two heat detections clustered near the area, indicating the current spread of the active front.

This incident unfolds during a broader fire season context for the country, which typically runs from December to March. Despite ongoing seasonal challenges, national data shows that 18,884,057 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 46% below the two-decade average for Australia.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Australia for less than a day.

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 Australia

Across Australia, roughly 18,884,057 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 46% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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Australia todayLive
18Active1,826Hotspots 48h4,926Hectares
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.
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