Wildfire near Vegas de Matute (Aug 9), Spain (2026)

Wildfire near Vegas de Matute (Aug 9) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Vegas de Matute (Aug 9) — 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

Key facts

Source: NASA FIRMS

Official statusActiveStill burning.

CauseHuman

JurisdictionJunta de Castilla y León (INFOCAL)

The story so far

Summary written on Aug 10, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature at an active human-caused wildfire burning near Vegas de Matute, Spain, where seven separate heat detections have been registered over the past 48 hours. The blaze, which started on August 9, 2026, has expanded across 180 hectares, equivalent to 445 acres, under the management of the Junta de Castilla y León through its INFOCAL agency.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. The current fire contributes to a broader national crisis, with 223,403 hectares burned across Spain so far in 2026—a figure tracking 135 percent above the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Spain for 2 days. In total it burned about 180 ha (445 acres) — around 1.8 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.