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Al-Kahla fire, June 2018 Al-Kahla, Al-Mejar Al-Kabir

Out · last detection 27 Aug 2018, 23:10 UTC

The fire started on 20 June 2018 in Al-Kahla, Iraq, and satellites saw it burning for 69 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 13,270 hectares from heat detections, spread across 2 municipalities.

This page is probably a fire complex, not a single fire. GWIS merges into one perimeter the fires that touch over weeks, which in large burning seasons can join dozens of separate fires. The total area is reliable; the origin and dates refer to the whole complex.

Other fire pages in the same area and on the same dates:

It is the largest fire in Maysan since 2016 (of 29 with a page). The largest in Iraq in 2018, of 13.

Compare with…

Suggestions: Al-Kahla · 2022Al-Kahla · 2025Al-Kahla · 2016Al-Kahla · 2016

Burnt area
13,270ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
69days
20 Jun 2018 – 27 Aug 2018
Municipalities hit
2
districts
Started on
20 Jun
2018
Heat detections
202
in a single hotspot: 56 MW
Danger at start
115
Very extreme · FWI index
Average daily power
22MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 20 Jun27 Aug
27 Aug 2018

How it evolved, day by day

9 Jul 2018 · 48 MW · 6 11 Jul 2018 · 6 MW · 2 12 Jul 2018 · 3 MW · 3 13 Jul 2018 · 11 MW · 5 23 Jul 2018 · 2 MW · 1 29 Jul 2018 · 21 MW · 3 30 Jul 2018 · 22 MW · 3 31 Jul 2018 · 76 MW · 11 1 Aug 2018 · 47 MW · 8 2 Aug 2018 · 16 MW · 6 3 Aug 2018 · 6 MW · 2 4 Aug 2018 · 5 MW · 3 5 Aug 2018 · 7 MW · 3 6 Aug 2018 · 13 MW · 7 7 Aug 2018 · 14 MW · 8 8 Aug 2018 · 14 MW · 8 9 Aug 2018 · 7 MW · 3 10 Aug 2018 · 3 MW · 1 11 Aug 2018 · 6 MW · 2 12 Aug 2018 · 36 MW · 8 13 Aug 2018 · 56 MW · 16 14 Aug 2018 · 203 MW · 15 15 Aug 2018 · 18 MW · 8 16 Aug 2018 · 15 MW · 9 17 Aug 2018 · 20 MW · 9 18 Aug 2018 · 17 MW · 11 19 Aug 2018 · 15 MW · 6 20 Aug 2018 · 4 MW · 2 21 Aug 2018 · 3 MW · 2 22 Aug 2018 · 17 MW · 6 23 Aug 2018 · 14 MW · 11 24 Aug 2018 · 10 MW · 9 25 Aug 2018 · 2 MW · 2 26 Aug 2018 · 2 MW · 1 27 Aug 2018 · 4 MW · 2
9 Jul 29 Jul 3 Aug 8 Aug 13 Aug 14 Aug 18 Aug 23 Aug

Fire radiative power detected each day, in megawatts, and number of hotspots. The magenta bar marks the peak day.

The weather it burned in

51°high
73km/h · peak gust
5%lowest humidity

It had gone 39 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started.

This area had burned before

No earlier perimeters overlap this fire since 2016, when the satellite record begins.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 8.4% of the area of London (133 km² against 1,583 km²).

London boundary: geoBoundaries · Office for National Statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0).

This compares size, not location: both shapes are at the same scale, north up, centred on each other.

What happened to each town

  1. Al-Kahla where it started
    9,819 ha reached on 9 Jul
    2.7 %
  2. Al-Mejar Al-Kabir
    3,469 ha reached on 31 Jul
    1.7 %

Burnt area inside each municipality, from crossing the GWIS perimeter with administrative boundaries. The distance runs from the point marking the centre of each area to the nearest fire: staying a kilometre away does not mean it reached the houses.

People and buildings inside the perimeter

GHSL 2020
Built-up area< 0.1 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there was no noticeable built-up land and almost nobody lived there (GHSL 2020, satellite-based estimate).

This is an estimate on 100 m cells, made from satellite imagery and census data: it does not mean that homes burned or that anyone was harmed. The perimeter also contains land that never burned.

Source: Global Human Settlement Layer (GHS-BUILT-S and GHS-POP R2023A), European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), © European Union, CC BY 4.0. Sum inside the perimeter computed by WorldFires. human-settlement.emergency.copernicus.eu

The weather day by day

ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at the fire location, the standard reference for past weather, and the Canadian Fire Weather Index (the same system Copernicus uses), computed by WorldFires from that data. Days after the fire run until the first rain.

Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Copernicus Climate Change Service (ERA5)

Day High Min. humidity Peak gust Rain Danger (FWI)
20 Jun 45.2 °C 8 % 73 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 115
21 Jun 43.7 °C 9 % 68 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 110
22 Jun 44.1 °C 10 % 58 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 96
23 Jun 42.0 °C 13 % 62 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 95
24 Jun 46.1 °C 9 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 69
25 Jun 47.5 °C 9 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 74
26 Jun 49.3 °C 5 % 62 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 110
27 Jun 46.2 °C 7 % 67 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 119
28 Jun 47.4 °C 8 % 54 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 96
29 Jun 46.9 °C 10 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 87
30 Jun 46.1 °C 9 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 89
1 Jul 47.3 °C 7 % 51 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 93
2 Jul 49.4 °C 7 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 83
3 Jul 50.9 °C 7 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 80
4 Jul 50.2 °C 6 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 77
5 Jul 50.0 °C 8 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
6 Jul 50.3 °C 7 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 67
7 Jul 49.7 °C 9 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 72
8 Jul 48.5 °C 8 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 88
9 Jul 47.8 °C 6 % 66 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 115
10 Jul 50.0 °C 7 % 50 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 97
11 Jul 51.1 °C 7 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 88
12 Jul 50.8 °C 7 % 47 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 94
13 Jul 48.3 °C 9 % 55 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 106
14 Jul 46.7 °C 6 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 97
15 Jul 46.9 °C 7 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 70
16 Jul 46.1 °C 10 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 84
17 Jul 44.7 °C 11 % 58 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 96
18 Jul 45.7 °C 9 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 80
19 Jul 47.3 °C 8 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 82
20 Jul 47.5 °C 8 % 64 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 107
21 Jul 45.7 °C 6 % 73 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 119
22 Jul 44.3 °C 8 % 55 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 96
23 Jul 44.9 °C 9 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 75
24 Jul 45.4 °C 11 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 66
25 Jul 46.5 °C 9 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 76
26 Jul 49.2 °C 8 % 62 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 109
27 Jul 46.6 °C 9 % 68 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 109
28 Jul 45.1 °C 13 % 58 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 97
29 Jul 45.7 °C 14 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 85
30 Jul 46.5 °C 11 % 62 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 100
31 Jul 46.4 °C 9 % 66 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 104
1 Aug 44.8 °C 10 % 57 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 93
2 Aug 44.7 °C 16 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 69
3 Aug 45.8 °C 11 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
4 Aug 46.9 °C 9 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
5 Aug 48.3 °C 9 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 83
6 Aug 48.4 °C 10 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 85
7 Aug 47.4 °C 11 % 63 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 103
8 Aug 46.7 °C 11 % 56 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 93
9 Aug 48.0 °C 11 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 82
10 Aug 46.1 °C 13 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 73
11 Aug 46.8 °C 11 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 83
12 Aug 47.5 °C 9 % 51 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 90
13 Aug 45.2 °C 11 % 59 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 98
14 Aug 44.9 °C 11 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 83
15 Aug 45.4 °C 10 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 71
16 Aug 47.1 °C 10 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 71
17 Aug 47.6 °C 9 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 79
18 Aug 47.1 °C 10 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 79
19 Aug 45.6 °C 9 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 78
20 Aug 46.4 °C 10 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 80
21 Aug 48.0 °C 9 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 78
22 Aug 48.0 °C 7 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 89
23 Aug 46.2 °C 8 % 60 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 106
24 Aug 45.6 °C 11 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 86
25 Aug 47.1 °C 10 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 82
26 Aug 48.4 °C 9 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 81
27 Aug 48.1 °C 7 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 82
28 Aug after 47.0 °C 11 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 79
29 Aug after 46.4 °C 9 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 89
30 Aug after 47.8 °C 9 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 79
31 Aug after 48.1 °C 9 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 81
1 Sept after 48.5 °C 7 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 94
2 Sept after 46.4 °C 10 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 76
3 Sept after 46.6 °C 10 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 69
4 Sept after 45.8 °C 17 % 26 km/h 0.1 mm Extreme 59
5 Sept after 45.2 °C 17 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
6 Sept after 45.5 °C 9 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64

Before and after, from space

Drag the line to compare the same ground before the fire and after it.

Before · 13 Jun 2018
After · 3 Sept 2018

If the day is cloudy, change the date: each satellite passes once a day. In false colour the burnt ground looks brown or red.

Detections table · 202Every satellite heat detection, one by one, with time, satellite, power and coordinates.
⬇ Download CSV Times in UTC. Each detection is a 375 m pixel: a large fire yields hundreds per pass.
Date and timeSatelliteFRP (MW)LatLon

Other fires nearby

All fires in Iraq ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Al-Kahla fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 20 June 2018 to 27 August 2018 (69 days). The perimeter dates it from 20 June 2018 to 20 August 2018.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 13,270 hectares (132.7 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 2 municipalities: Al-Kahla (9,819 ha, 2.7 %); Al-Mejar Al-Kabir (3,469 ha, 1.7 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 51.1 °C, humidity dropped to 5 % and gusts hit 73 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 119, class Very extreme.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Iraq (geoBoundaries). It is not an official report.

Where to verify it

A satellite detection is not an official report. Final figures and the fire’s status are published by each country’s emergency service.

Satellite cross-check

History of this page · 1 Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.
  1. Last day with fire: 20 August 2018 → 27 August 2018.

RSS Changes to this page

Does something look wrong on this page?

This page is built from satellite data and official records, and it sometimes gets things wrong: the wrong dates, the wrong town, two fires merged into one, or something that was not a wildfire at all. If you know this fire first-hand (you live nearby, saw it, fought it or reported on it), tell us what really happened and we will check it.

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How we know this
  • Perimeter: GWIS (Copernicus), rebuilt from heat detections rather than mapped on imagery.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 20 June 2018 to 20 August 2018. 202 Suomi-NPP VIIRS detections on those dates.
  • We have not matched this page with any official record.
  • Weather: Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis at the fire location, in cells of about 25 km.
  • Built-up area and population come from the JRC Global Human Settlement Layer (epoch 2020, 100 m cells), summed inside the perimeter: an estimate of what was there, not a damage count.

How we build fire pages: methodology ›

Where this data comes from

The perimeter comes from the Copernicus Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), which rebuilds it from MODIS and VIIRS heat detections and publishes it under CC BY 4.0. It is not measured on imagery as in Europe, so it is an estimate. Heat detections come from the VIIRS sensors aboard Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20, distributed by NASA FIRMS at 375 m resolution. Municipal boundaries come from geoBoundaries ADM2 (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Intergovernmental Organisations (CC BY 3.0 IGO)). The area per municipality is computed by WorldFires by crossing the perimeter with those boundaries, so it may differ from each country’s official figure.