# Wildfire briefing: Australia

_Data up to: 5 Nov 2026, 03:48 UTC_

Probable fires in Australia in the last 24 hours: 234, with 10,888 heat detections from the VIIRS satellites (NASA FIRMS; latest detection: 4 Nov 2026, 23:26 UTC).

Fires with a WorldFires page still showing heat detections in the last 48 hours: 60.

Largest active fire: Mareeba fire, 8 October 2026, with 145,769 hectares burned — perimeter rebuilt from heat detections (Copernicus GWIS); latest heat detection: 4 Nov 2026, 04:40 UTC.

Australia is running below the usual for this point in the year, at 70 % of the average: 18,901,468 hectares burned up to week 43, against an average of 26,933,746 in 2012–2025 (Copernicus GWIS). GWIS estimates for the current year are provisional and may change.

Forecast fire danger for today near Derby-West Kimberley: extreme (FWI 56), computed by WorldFires from the ECMWF IFS forecast.

## Suggested citation

WorldFires, “Wildfire briefing: Australia”, https://worldfires.org/en/country/australia/briefing (accessed 5 Nov 2026, 03:48 UTC). Sources: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS), Copernicus GWIS, ECMWF IFS (Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0).

Licence CC BY 4.0: this briefing may be reproduced, including by the media, crediting “WorldFires (worldfires.org)” and the original sources.

Sources: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) · Copernicus GWIS · ECMWF IFS (Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0)

> A heat detection is not a confirmed fire: farm burning and industry also produce them, and clouds or smoke can hide a fire. Experimental site with automatically processed open data: it may contain errors and is not an official emergency service. If there is a fire, call your local emergency number.

Full version with maps: https://worldfires.org/en/country/australia/briefing