Wildfire near Sampit (Oct 21), Indonesia (2026)

Wildfire near Sampit (Oct 21) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Sampit (Oct 21) — 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 10 km southeast of Sampit.

Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature over an active wildfire burning near Sampit, Indonesia, which has prompted 51 thermal detections in the past 48 hours to cluster nearby and establish an estimated footprint of 980 hectares, or about 2,422 acres. The blaze, which started on October 21, 2026, continues to burn during the dry season.

This incident unfolds within a broader national context of severe fire activity, as 7,910,815 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, tracking 122% above the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Indonesia for 1 day. So far it has affected roughly 1,050 ha (2,595 acres) — about 11 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.