Wildfires in Brazil today
So far in 2026, 5,866,295 hectares have burned in Brazil — 81% below the 20-year average. Right now 34 wildfires are burning.
5,866,295 hectares so far this year, 81% below the average. Out of the 26 countries the European system tracks, Brazil ranks 24th for area burned relative to its average.
Named fires in Brazil
Detailed reports with satellite imagery and data.
Burning right now “Contained” doesn’t mean out. It’s the share of the perimeter where crews stopped the spread. In most of Europe it isn’t published; “not held back yet” is an official 0%.
See all fires in Amazon Rainforest →We email you when satellites detect new fire in the area. Free, no account.
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The Amazon rainforest, spanning over 5.5 million square kilometers across nine countries, is the planet's most biodiverse region and a critical component of Earth's climate system. Fire activity in the Amazon has become a global concern, with annual burning seasons generating worldwide attention.
Most Amazon fires are human-caused, linked to deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching. During the dry season (July-October), thousands of fires burn simultaneously, releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide and threatening indigenous communities. The 2019 fire season drew unprecedented global attention, and 2024 became the worst fire year in two decades.
Our satellite tracking system monitors every fire hotspot detected across the Amazon basin, covering territories in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
Amazon Rainforest wildfire season
The Amazon's fire season runs through the dry season, roughly July to October and peaking in August and September, when reduced rainfall lets deliberately-set fires spread. Most burning is concentrated along the "arc of deforestation" in the southern and eastern Brazilian Amazon — Pará, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Amazonas — and across the Bolivian and Peruvian Amazon.
Unlike most wildfires, almost none of these are natural: a healthy rainforest barely burns. Fires are set to clear land and then escape into standing forest, made far worse by the severe droughts of recent years.
Notable wildfires in history
- 2024 Record Drought Fires
The worst fire year since 2005: an extreme drought dried the forest and fires burned an area larger than the U.S. state of California, becoming the leading cause of forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon for the first time on record.
- 2019 The Amazon Fires
Thousands of fires during the dry season drew unprecedented global attention as satellite images revealed the scale of the burning, spotlighting the link between deforestation and fire.
- 2010 Historic Drought
A "once-in-a-century" drought — following a similar one in 2005 — dried vast areas of the basin and fueled widespread fires, an early warning of the forest's growing vulnerability.
Main causes & risk factors
- Deliberate burning to clear land for cattle ranching and crops
- Slash-and-burn fires that escape into standing rainforest
- Severe droughts, increasingly linked to climate change, that dry the forest
- Illegal deforestation along the "arc of deforestation"
- A drier, degraded forest that no longer resists fire the way intact rainforest does
Safety & preparedness
- Smoke can blanket cities hundreds of kilometres away — monitor local air quality
- Wear an N95 mask and limit outdoor activity on heavy-smoke days
- Avoid any use of fire in or near forest during the dry season
- Report illegal fires and deforestation to the authorities
- Support and respect the Indigenous and local communities on the front lines
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Frequently asked questions
When is the Amazon fire season?
Mainly July to October, peaking in August and September during the dry season, when set fires spread most easily.
Are Amazon fires natural?
Almost never. Intact rainforest barely burns — the vast majority of Amazon fires are set by people to clear land, then spread into the forest.
What was the worst Amazon fire year?
2024 was the worst since 2005: an extreme drought helped fires burn an area larger than California and made fire the leading cause of Brazilian Amazon forest loss.
Where do most Amazon fires happen?
Along the "arc of deforestation" in the southern and eastern Brazilian Amazon — Pará, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Amazonas — plus the Bolivian and Peruvian Amazon.
Where does this map's fire data come from?
Every hotspot comes from NASA's FIRMS system, using VIIRS satellites that detect active fires worldwide and update several times a day.