SL · Countries
Wildfires in Sierra Leone
1,770 fires over 1,000 hectares with a perimeter estimated by GWIS since 2016, adding up to 3,073,168 hectares burned across 141 chiefdoms.
Only fires of 1,000 ha or more get an entry: smaller ones are not in the lists or the entry totals, but they are in the GWIS yearly series.
Key facts
- According to Copernicus GWIS, 1,132,891 hectares burned in Sierra Leone in 2025.
- The worst year in Sierra Leone since 2016 was 2019, with 2,137,765 hectares burned according to Copernicus GWIS.
- According to Copernicus GWIS estimates, an average of 1,791,782 hectares burn in Sierra Leone each year (2016–2025 average).
- Fires counted by Copernicus GWIS in Sierra Leone so far in 2026 (up to week 42): 2,823, against an average of 6,023 per full year in 2016–2025.
- Largest fire recorded by WorldFires in Sierra Leone since 2016: Sandor fire, 23 February 2019, with 24,116 hectares burned — perimeter rebuilt from heat detections (Copernicus GWIS).
Figures computed on 27 October 2026 from the WorldFires database; each sentence names its source. Reusable under CC BY 4.0 with credit to WorldFires.
How the season is going · week 42
Copernicus GWIS · provisional36 %
against the 2012–2025 average
Sierra Leone is running below the usual for this point in the year, at 36 % of the average: 731,535 hectares burned up to week 42, against an average of 2,049,170 in 2012–2025 (Copernicus GWIS). No year between 2012 and 2025 had burned this little by now.
- 2026
- 731,535 ha
- average
- 2,049,170 ha
- minimum
- 1,128,588 ha
- maximum
- 3,229,867 ha
GWIS estimates for the current year are provisional and may change.
The season, week by week
Copernicus GWIS
2026
average 2012–2025
lowest and highest
The GWIS yearly series
2012–2026Yearly average 2016–20251,791,782 ha
Worst year2019 2,137,765 ha
With a page here1,770 since 2016
121314151617181920212223242526
›See the year-by-year table
| Year | Fires | hectares | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,823 | 731,535 | GWIS |
| 2025 | 3,745 | 1,132,891 | GWIS |
| 2024 | 4,957 | 1,481,061 | GWIS |
| 2023 | 6,742 | 2,008,308 | GWIS |
| 2022 | 7,391 | 2,121,764 | GWIS |
| 2021 | 5,057 | 1,350,449 | GWIS |
| 2020 | 6,856 | 1,980,625 | GWIS |
| 2019 | 7,027 | 2,137,765 | GWIS |
| 2018 | 5,185 | 1,504,733 | GWIS |
| 2017 | 6,554 | 2,071,873 | GWIS |
| 2016 | 6,713 | 2,128,356 | GWIS |
| 2015 | 9,356 | 3,334,788 | GWIS |
| 2014 | 9,351 | 3,132,985 | GWIS |
| 2013 | 7,480 | 2,355,500 | GWIS |
| 2012 | 7,633 | 2,701,574 | GWIS |
National estimates from Copernicus GWIS, rebuilt from heat detections since 2012.
Fire calendar
The peak usually comes in week 12 (around 22 March): that is the median of the week with the most burned area in each year since 2016.
Each cell is one week; the colour shows the area of the fires on record that started that week, in quartiles for this country. Tap a cell for details.
Hectares per week:
no fires
< 3,4273,427–8,3938,393–22,468≥ 22,468
When it burned: year by year, month by month
Hectares with a perimeter estimated by GWIS by the fire’s starting month, and the largest fire of each year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Σ | Largest of the year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 104k | 45k | 305k | 177k | 1k | 631,978 | Niawa Lenga 20,541 ha | |||||||
| 2025 | 15k | 16k | 91k | 37k | 158,912 | Sambaya 4,931 ha | ||||||||
| 2024 | 28k | 25k | 51k | 82k | 13k | 199,341 | Kwamebai Krim 5,856 ha | |||||||
| 2023 | 15k | 3k | 115k | 124k | 256,281 | Sengbe 7,774 ha | ||||||||
| 2022 | 62k | 12k | 125k | 91k | 1k | 4k | 296,276 | Nieni 9,579 ha | ||||||
| 2021 | 18k | 6k | 31k | 19k | 2k | 74,199 | Nieni 5,620 ha | |||||||
| 2020 | 25k | 25k | 86k | 75k | 1k | 211,663 | Safroko Limba 4,698 ha | |||||||
| 2019 | 27k | 100k | 113k | 98k | 6k | 344,348 | Sandor 24,116 ha | |||||||
| 2018 | 31k | 96k | 42k | 2k | 171,128 | Nieni 5,731 ha | ||||||||
| 2017 | 40k | 31k | 103k | 177k | 4k | 355,388 | Bagruwa 6,924 ha | |||||||
| 2016 | 119k | 18k | 183k | 54k | 373,654 | Tambakha 8,119 ha |
Hectares burned per year
Tell me what burns here
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Largest recorded fires
By region
- Northern 1,931,396 ha · 1162
- Southern 693,063 ha · 417
- Eastern 450,881 ha · 308
- Western Area 1,166 ha · 2
Chiefdoms that have burned most often in Sierra Leone
- 204×Nieni11 years · 320,249 ha
- 125×Tambakha11 years · 178,963 ha
- 93×Kunike11 years · 116,007 ha
- 82×Sandor11 years · 94,080 ha
- 77×Sengbe10 years · 87,502 ha
Full ranking: by number of fires, area and share of the municipality →
Fires in 2026 · 305
- 20,541 haNiawa LengaMarch 2026 · 25 days
- 11,897 haKunike28 March 2026 · 18 days
- 9,329 haTonko Limba12 April 2026 · 21 days
- 7,462 haPaki MasabongApril 2026 · 23 days
- 7,300 haTikonko22 March 2026 · 20 days
- 6,967 haKamajei15 March 2026 · 23 days
- 6,058 haKasunko22 January 2026 · 10 days
- 5,856 haPejeh(Futa pejeMarch 2026 · 25 days
- 5,729 haMasimera13 April 2026 · 21 days
- 5,668 haDodo25 March 2026 · 12 days
- 5,643 haBadjia29 March 2026 · 13 days
- 5,572 haValunia14 March 2026 · 12 days
- 5,571 haSandor25 March 2026 · 17 days
- 5,307 haMasimera5 April 2026 · 29 days
- 5,282 haDibiaApril 2026 · 20 days
- 4,916 haBramaia15 January 2026 · 18 days
- 4,909 haMakari Gbanti14 April 2026 · 24 days
- 4,869 haBiriwa14 April 2026 · 24 days
- 4,595 haFolosaba DembelFebruary 2026 · 13 days
- 4,535 haYoni14 April 2026 · 20 days
Fires in 2025 · 102
- 4,931 haSambayaMarch 2025 · 12 days
- 4,109 haSengbeMarch 2025 · 10 days
- 4,006 haKunike8 March 2025 · 16 days
- 3,598 haBagruwa10 March 2025 · 13 days
- 3,579 haFakunya1 April 2025 · 12 days
- 3,443 haSambaya4 April 2025 · 6 days
- 3,197 haKunike8 March 2025 · 14 days
- 3,179 haMongo12 March 2025 · 7 days
- 3,070 haImperri6 March 2025 · 17 days
- 3,060 haNieni5 March 2025 · 19 days
- 2,564 haNieni8 March 2025 · 16 days
- 2,299 haNieniJanuary 2025 · 3 days
- 2,237 haJongMarch 2025 · 7 days
- 2,237 haImperri10 March 2025 · 13 days
- 2,143 haYakemu KpukumuMarch 2025 · 4 days
- 1,908 haFakunya7 March 2025 · 16 days
- 1,891 haBumpe Ngao15 March 2025 · 7 days
- 1,838 haSambaya3 April 2025 · 4 days
- 1,827 haKpakaApril 2025 · 7 days
- 1,801 haKwamebai Krim6 March 2025 · 11 days
Fires in 2024 · 141
- 5,856 haKwamebai Krim25 February 2024 · 25 days
- 3,922 haNieni11 April 2024 · 18 days
- 3,432 haGbendembu Ngowa18 April 2024 · 15 days
- 2,941 haFakunya29 March 2024 · 14 days
- 2,810 haSowa7 March 2024 · 13 days
- 2,659 haTambakha20 January 2024 · 15 days
- 2,637 haBagruwa22 March 2024 · 5 days
- 2,222 haWara Wara BafodMarch 2024 · 6 days
- 2,118 haKoya25 April 2024 · 5 days
- 2,060 haBumpe Ngao23 March 2024 · 4 days
- 2,053 haLei27 December 2024 · 7 days
- 2,011 haKunike11 April 2024 · 9 days
- 1,991 haBagboMarch 2024 · 12 days
- 1,861 haSengbe21 January 2024 · 9 days
- 1,850 haTambakhaDecember 2024 · 15 days
- 1,843 haBagruwa23 March 2024 · 4 days
- 1,835 haTambakha28 January 2024 · 16 days
- 1,833 haKunike BarinaApril 2024 · 7 days
- 1,781 haTambakha17 February 2024 · 15 days
- 1,748 haNieni23 March 2024 · 11 days
Fires in 2023 · 158
- 7,774 haSengbe12 March 2023 · 22 days
- 5,127 haKoya24 April 2023 · 8 days
- 5,025 haPaki MasabongMarch 2023 · 32 days
- 4,229 haNieni9 March 2023 · 19 days
- 3,929 haDiangMarch 2023 · 19 days
- 3,519 haKafe SimiriaMarch 2023 · 23 days
- 3,479 haNieni16 March 2023 · 15 days
- 3,439 haValunia2 April 2023 · 9 days
- 3,268 haKunike Barina24 April 2023 · 8 days
- 3,025 haBumpeh23 April 2023 · 10 days
- 2,917 haMongo18 March 2023 · 7 days
- 2,831 haTambakhaFebruary 2023 · 9 days
- 2,822 haKafe Simiria7 April 2023 · 10 days
- 2,781 haSafroko LimbaApril 2023 · 16 days
- 2,765 haBramaia3 April 2023 · 15 days
- 2,670 haValunia12 March 2023 · 17 days
- 2,660 haGbonkolenkenApril 2023 · 15 days
- 2,629 haBuya RomendeJanuary 2023 · 16 days
- 2,625 haLokomasamaApril 2023 · 8 days
- 2,479 haKunike Barina12 April 2023 · 6 days
Fires in 2022 · 169
- 9,579 haNieni5 March 2022 · 26 days
- 7,753 haSambaya14 March 2022 · 11 days
- 6,079 haSambaya16 March 2022 · 10 days
- 6,054 haSimbaru14 April 2022 · 10 days
- 5,944 haSambaya16 March 2022 · 15 days
- 5,210 haTane6 March 2022 · 24 days
- 5,018 haKunike Barina14 March 2022 · 13 days
- 4,559 haNieni7 March 2022 · 21 days
- 4,437 haNieni11 March 2022 · 16 days
- 4,408 haTonko Limba23 April 2022 · 9 days
- 3,846 haKamajeiMarch 2022 · 7 days
- 3,834 haKomboya10 April 2022 · 14 days
- 3,810 haSoa17 January 2022 · 15 days
- 3,431 haSanda LokoJanuary 2022 · 10 days
- 3,258 haSimbaru10 April 2022 · 7 days
- 3,066 haSengbe17 March 2022 · 13 days
- 3,036 haKwamebai KrimMarch 2022 · 13 days
- 3,001 haSandorApril 2022 · 12 days
- 2,955 haBadjiaApril 2022 · 8 days
- 2,945 haNieni11 March 2022 · 14 days
Fires in 2021 · 48
- 5,620 haNieniFebruary 2021 · 31 days
- 4,873 haSafroko Limba22 April 2021 · 17 days
- 2,326 haBiriwa22 April 2021 · 4 days
- 2,274 haKunike10 March 2021 · 18 days
- 2,215 haNieni7 March 2021 · 22 days
- 2,136 haMongo14 January 2021 · 10 days
- 1,885 haKunike17 March 2021 · 11 days
- 1,876 haTambakha17 January 2021 · 11 days
- 1,863 haSambayaMarch 2021 · 8 days
- 1,700 haNieniDecember 2021 · 11 days
- 1,626 haNieni19 March 2021 · 9 days
- 1,616 haKasunkoJanuary 2021 · 5 days
- 1,603 haKafe SimiriaApril 2021 · 6 days
- 1,588 haLower BambaraApril 2021 · 1 day
- 1,573 haPaki MasabongApril 2021 · 9 days
- 1,549 haSulimaJanuary 2021 · 16 days
- 1,510 haValunia13 March 2021 · 16 days
- 1,508 haNieni19 March 2021 · 9 days
- 1,482 haValunia18 March 2021 · 10 days
- 1,411 haBiriwaJanuary 2021 · 4 days
Fires in 2020 · 145
- 4,698 haSafroko LimbaApril 2020 · 4 days
- 3,807 haGorama Mende14 March 2020 · 11 days
- 3,593 haKunike14 March 2020 · 11 days
- 3,195 haTambakha3 February 2020 · 15 days
- 2,958 haRibbi19 April 2020 · 1 day
- 2,755 haTambakha31 January 2020 · 16 days
- 2,611 haTikonko29 March 2020 · 7 days
- 2,489 haLei21 January 2020 · 16 days
- 2,430 haGorama Mende13 March 2020 · 12 days
- 2,389 haNieni12 March 2020 · 9 days
- 2,388 haNieni12 March 2020 · 13 days
- 2,356 haKunike7 March 2020 · 18 days
- 2,309 haMasimera29 March 2020 · 14 days
- 2,163 haGorama Kono11 April 2020 · 2 days
- 2,161 haKoya19 April 2020 · 1 day
- 2,151 haNieniFebruary 2020 · 4 days
- 2,136 haSandor14 March 2020 · 11 days
- 2,004 haKagboro17 April 2020 · 5 days
- 1,999 haNieni31 March 2020 · 11 days
- 1,978 haDiang4 April 2020 · 12 days
Fires in 2019 · 183
- 24,116 haSandor23 February 2019 · 33 days
- 10,359 haNieni24 February 2019 · 32 days
- 7,934 haValunia1 March 2019 · 21 days
- 6,232 haNieni25 February 2019 · 31 days
- 5,742 haTambakha6 February 2019 · 26 days
- 5,461 haKafe Simiria11 April 2019 · 13 days
- 5,220 haSambaya24 February 2019 · 26 days
- 4,768 haKasunkoJanuary 2019 · 9 days
- 4,228 haNeya23 February 2019 · 18 days
- 3,767 haMaforkiApril 2019 · 16 days
- 3,703 haKunike9 March 2019 · 12 days
- 3,465 haNieni1 March 2019 · 7 days
- 3,359 haWandor11 April 2019 · 5 days
- 3,280 haBumpe Ngao7 April 2019 · 5 days
- 3,204 haDodoMarch 2019 · 21 days
- 3,096 haNimiyamaFebruary 2019 · 10 days
- 3,032 haWandorMarch 2019 · 15 days
- 2,961 haGbaneFebruary 2019 · 8 days
- 2,950 haKwamebai KrimMarch 2019 · 20 days
- 2,916 haSandor6 April 2019 · 15 days
Fires in 2018 · 104
- 5,731 haNieni19 March 2018 · 12 days
- 5,305 haNieni17 March 2018 · 14 days
- 4,358 haYoni29 March 2018 · 17 days
- 3,669 haKoya29 March 2018 · 17 days
- 3,466 haKunike18 March 2018 · 13 days
- 3,442 haFakunyaMarch 2018 · 10 days
- 2,753 haBiriwaApril 2018 · 19 days
- 2,706 haKasunko21 January 2018 · 7 days
- 2,658 haKunike21 March 2018 · 14 days
- 2,639 haPenguiaMarch 2018 · 14 days
- 2,562 haNieni18 March 2018 · 18 days
- 2,544 haBuya RomendeMarch 2018 · 10 days
- 2,529 haGbendembu NgowaMarch 2018 · 16 days
- 2,442 haKunike23 March 2018 · 3 days
- 2,267 haKasunko18 January 2018 · 9 days
- 2,211 haMasimera2 April 2018 · 12 days
- 2,092 haKasunko22 January 2018 · 6 days
- 2,091 haToliJanuary 2018 · 11 days
- 1,927 haJaiama BongorApril 2018 · 6 days
- 1,904 haPaki MasabongMarch 2018 · 17 days
Fires in 2017 · 207
- 6,924 haBagruwa10 April 2017 · 8 days
- 4,665 haMasimera1 April 2017 · 17 days
- 4,443 haKasunko28 January 2017 · 13 days
- 4,312 haKoya1 April 2017 · 15 days
- 4,271 haBiriwa5 February 2017 · 8 days
- 4,240 haPenguia31 March 2017 · 10 days
- 4,232 haTambakha24 January 2017 · 17 days
- 3,908 haKasunko22 January 2017 · 17 days
- 3,700 haTambakha25 January 2017 · 14 days
- 3,641 haNieni2 March 2017 · 18 days
- 3,579 haBagruwa8 April 2017 · 10 days
- 3,503 haPaki Masabong13 April 2017 · 15 days
- 3,323 haSambaya1 April 2017 · 9 days
- 3,314 haKaiyamba11 April 2017 · 7 days
- 3,238 haNimiyamaMarch 2017 · 11 days
- 3,184 haKunike3 April 2017 · 8 days
- 2,942 haNieni3 March 2017 · 19 days
- 2,879 haGbane KandorJanuary 2017 · 12 days
- 2,743 haSafroko Limba13 April 2017 · 16 days
- 2,705 haBureh Kasseh Ma15 April 2017 · 2 days
Fires in 2016 · 208
- 8,119 haTambakha24 January 2016 · 12 days
- 7,099 haValunia26 March 2016 · 16 days
- 6,826 haSandor19 March 2016 · 29 days
- 6,533 haNieni25 March 2016 · 22 days
- 5,013 haKwamebai Krim7 March 2016 · 13 days
- 4,518 haNieni29 January 2016 · 28 days
- 4,462 haTambakha26 January 2016 · 15 days
- 4,224 haNiawa Lenga26 March 2016 · 15 days
- 4,192 haKafe Simiria25 March 2016 · 17 days
- 3,841 haKamajei27 March 2016 · 3 days
- 3,721 haGorama Mende27 March 2016 · 14 days
- 3,708 haSengbe26 March 2016 · 22 days
- 3,648 haSandor29 January 2016 · 18 days
- 3,637 haBramaia26 April 2016 · 10 days
- 3,606 haPaki Masabong25 April 2016 · 14 days
- 3,484 haKakua27 March 2016 · 18 days
- 3,418 haKunike4 March 2016 · 17 days
- 3,404 haFakunya27 March 2016 · 17 days
- 3,361 haKafe Simiria26 March 2016 · 16 days
- 3,353 haWara Wara Bafod24 January 2016 · 12 days
Frequently asked questions
- How much land burns in Sierra Leone in an average year?
- According to Copernicus GWIS estimates, an average of 1,791,782 hectares burn in Sierra Leone each year (2016–2025 average).
- What was the worst wildfire year in Sierra Leone?
- The worst year in Sierra Leone since 2016 was 2019, with 2,137,765 hectares burned according to Copernicus GWIS.
- What is the largest wildfire recorded in Sierra Leone?
- Largest fire recorded by WorldFires in Sierra Leone since 2016: Sandor fire, 23 February 2019, with 24,116 hectares burned — perimeter rebuilt from heat detections (Copernicus GWIS).
- When is wildfire season in Sierra Leone?
- In Sierra Leone, 83% of the area burned in fires with a WorldFires page since 2016 burned in February–April; the month with the most burned area: March.
- How many wildfires has Sierra Leone had in 2026?
- Fires counted by Copernicus GWIS in Sierra Leone so far in 2026 (up to week 42): 2,823, against an average of 6,023 per full year in 2016–2025. Sierra Leone is running below the usual for this point in the year, at 36 % of the average: 731,535 hectares burned up to week 42, against an average of 2,049,170 in 2012–2025 (Copernicus GWIS). No year between 2012 and 2025 had burned this little by now.
- Which regions of Sierra Leone burn the most?
- Regions of Sierra Leone with the most area burned in fires with a WorldFires page since 2016: Northern (1,931,396 ha), Southern (693,063 ha), Eastern (450,881 ha).