Siberia Wildfires Map
Wildfire statistics · Russia
In 2026, 4,997,855 hectares have burned in Russia — 65% below the 20-year average.
Named fires in Russia
Detailed reports with satellite imagery and data.
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About wildfires in Siberia
Siberia's vast boreal forests experience massive wildfire events that rival or exceed anything seen elsewhere on Earth. The region's fire season, typically from May to September, can produce fires that burn millions of hectares and generate smoke plumes visible from space.
Climate change is dramatically increasing fire activity in Siberia. Arctic regions are warming at nearly four times the global average, thawing permafrost, drying forests, and creating conditions for unprecedented "zombie fires" that smolder underground through winter. The 2021 fire season saw over 18 million hectares burn across Russia, mostly in Siberia.
This tracker monitors all satellite-detected fire activity across Siberia.
Siberia wildfire season
Siberia's fire season runs from May to September and peaks in July and August, when heat and drought dry out the world's largest expanse of boreal forest. The worst-hit areas are in the northeast — the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) — and across Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, where fires burn taiga and carbon-rich peat.
Many blazes burn in remote "control zones" where officials may legally leave them to burn unchecked, so Siberian fires can grow to enormous size before anyone intervenes.
Notable wildfires in history
- 2021 Yakutia Record Fires
Russia's largest fire season on record: around 18.8 million hectares burned nationwide, most of it in Sakha (Yakutia). Smoke reached the North Pole for the first time in recorded history and choked the city of Yakutsk for weeks.
- 2020 Arctic Heat & Zombie Fires
A record Arctic heatwave pushed the town of Verkhoyansk to 38°C — the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic — while peat "zombie fires" smouldered underground through winter and reignited the following spring.
- 2019 Siberian Fires
Millions of hectares of taiga burned during a severe heatwave, drawing global attention as smoke blanketed cities and Russia deployed military aircraft to fight the flames.
Main causes & risk factors
- Rapid Arctic warming — Siberia is heating several times faster than the global average
- Summer heatwaves and drought that dry out the taiga
- Dry lightning igniting remote boreal forest
- Peat and permafrost "zombie fires" that survive winter and reignite
- Remote "control zones" where fires are often left to burn unchecked
Safety & preparedness
- Smoke can blanket cities like Yakutsk and Krasnoyarsk for weeks — monitor air quality
- Wear an N95 mask and stay indoors on heavy-smoke days
- Keep windows closed and use an air purifier when smoke is thick
- Follow guidance from EMERCOM and regional authorities
- Avoid any open burning during the dry summer months
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Frequently asked questions
When is Siberia's fire season?
From May to September, peaking in July and August, when heat and drought dry out the boreal forest.
Where do most Siberian fires happen?
In the northeast — especially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) — and across Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, in the vast taiga forest.
What was Siberia's worst fire year?
2021 was Russia's largest fire season on record — about 18.8 million hectares burned and wildfire smoke reached the North Pole for the first time.
What are "zombie fires"?
Peat fires that smoulder underground through the Siberian winter, even at extreme cold, then flare back to the surface the next spring.
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.