Wildfire near Vilarandelo (Aug 1), Portugal (2026)

Wildfire near Vilarandelo (Aug 1) — Sentinel-2 true color

Wildfire near Vilarandelo (Aug 1) — 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

Summary written on Aug 2, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Satellites are picking up an intense heat signature from an active wildfire burning near Vilarandelo, Portugal, which has charred 250 hectares (618 acres) since it started on August 1, 2026. The blaze has triggered 16 heat detections over a recent 48-hour window, illustrating the active spread across the area during Portugal's typical fire season, which runs from June to October.

This incident unfolds within a broader national context where 51,967 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure that sits 51% below the two-decade average for the same period.

In context

This wildfire burned in Portugal for 2 days. In total it burned about 250 ha (618 acres) — around 2.5 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.