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Barão de Melgaço fire, 1 August 2024 Barão de Melgaço, Poconé

Out · last detection 23 Sept 2024, 17:13 UTC

The fire started on 1 August 2024 in Barão de Melgaço, Brazil, and satellites saw it burning for 53 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 128,779 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 8th largest in Mato Grosso since 2016 (of 1872 with a page). Number 9 in Brazil in 2024, of 1301.

Burnt area
128,779ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
53days
1 Aug 2024 – 22 Sept 2024
Municipalities hit
2
municipalities
Started on
1 Aug
2024
Heat detections
9,516
in a single hotspot: 571 MW
Danger at start
50
Very high · FWI index
Average daily power
3.0GW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 1 Aug22 Sept
23 Sept 2024

How it evolved, day by day

1 Aug 2024 · 6 MW · 1 2 Aug 2024 · 89 MW · 1 3 Aug 2024 · 2,088 MW · 109 4 Aug 2024 · 1,155 MW · 154 5 Aug 2024 · 5,422 MW · 285 6 Aug 2024 · 15,420 MW · 641 7 Aug 2024 · 21,738 MW · 1303 8 Aug 2024 · 3,092 MW · 546 10 Aug 2024 · 1,539 MW · 85 11 Aug 2024 · 2,082 MW · 338 12 Aug 2024 · 7,780 MW · 353 13 Aug 2024 · 2,332 MW · 380 14 Aug 2024 · 4,306 MW · 348 15 Aug 2024 · 12,958 MW · 476 16 Aug 2024 · 2,851 MW · 297 17 Aug 2024 · 5,177 MW · 219 18 Aug 2024 · 5,571 MW · 257 19 Aug 2024 · 7,262 MW · 409 20 Aug 2024 · 5,411 MW · 300 21 Aug 2024 · 19,792 MW · 534 22 Aug 2024 · 6,646 MW · 521 23 Aug 2024 · 2,173 MW · 332 24 Aug 2024 · 2,296 MW · 118 25 Aug 2024 · 30 MW · 13 26 Aug 2024 · 968 MW · 110 27 Aug 2024 · 1,303 MW · 139 28 Aug 2024 · 528 MW · 70 29 Aug 2024 · 4,162 MW · 137 30 Aug 2024 · 2,660 MW · 149 31 Aug 2024 · 992 MW · 91 1 Sept 2024 · 186 MW · 40 2 Sept 2024 · 4 MW · 4 3 Sept 2024 · 377 MW · 21 4 Sept 2024 · 567 MW · 30 5 Sept 2024 · 195 MW · 25 6 Sept 2024 · 10 MW · 8 7 Sept 2024 · 214 MW · 11 8 Sept 2024 · 235 MW · 23 9 Sept 2024 · 690 MW · 32 10 Sept 2024 · 321 MW · 25 11 Sept 2024 · 470 MW · 39 12 Sept 2024 · 1,162 MW · 60 13 Sept 2024 · 2,214 MW · 82 14 Sept 2024 · 909 MW · 81 15 Sept 2024 · 67 MW · 10 16 Sept 2024 · 2 MW · 2 17 Sept 2024 · 264 MW · 30 18 Sept 2024 · 797 MW · 33 19 Sept 2024 · 724 MW · 71 20 Sept 2024 · 53 MW · 14 21 Sept 2024 · 62 MW · 19 22 Sept 2024 · 2,084 MW · 67 23 Sept 2024 · 774 MW · 73
7 Aug 24 Aug 4 Sept 15 Sept

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

The weather it burned in

41°high
47km/h · peak gust
8%lowest humidity

It had gone more than two months without rain (1 mm or more) when it started.

This area had burned before

92% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 72 ha in 2016, 14,389 ha in 2017, 212 ha in 2018, 3,424 ha in 2019, 120,550 ha in 2020, 8,097 ha in 2021, 2,404 ha in 2022, 2,911 ha in 2023. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 118,748 ha that had burned before.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 81% of the area of London (1,288 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. Barão de Melgaço 15,246 inhabitants where it started
    132,175 ha reached on 1 Aug
    12 %
  2. Poconé 31,217 inhabitants
    149 ha reached on 21 Aug
    0.0 %

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 2025
Built-up area0.59 ha
Residents≈ 40

Inside the perimeter there were about 0.59 hectares of built-up land and about 40 residents (GHSL 2025, 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. The GHSL 2025 epoch is a projection made from 2020 and earlier data.

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)

Started with 60 days without rain: 55 % of the area in Brazil

Day High Min. humidity Peak gust Rain Danger (FWI)
1 Aug 36.8 °C 21 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
2 Aug 37.6 °C 19 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
3 Aug 37.2 °C 18 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 72
4 Aug 37.5 °C 18 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
5 Aug 36.7 °C 20 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 61
6 Aug 35.6 °C 18 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 71
7 Aug 36.2 °C 20 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 69
8 Aug 32.5 °C 37 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
9 Aug 17.9 °C 67 % 42 km/h 0.1 mm High 26
10 Aug 23.5 °C 20 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
11 Aug 29.8 °C 18 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
12 Aug 29.7 °C 14 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
13 Aug 31.7 °C 14 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
14 Aug 36.0 °C 15 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
15 Aug 38.8 °C 16 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
16 Aug 38.3 °C 24 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 61
17 Aug 39.4 °C 20 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
18 Aug 39.9 °C 14 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 67
19 Aug 40.0 °C 15 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 65
20 Aug 39.5 °C 16 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 70
21 Aug 39.2 °C 14 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 76
22 Aug 39.1 °C 16 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 76
23 Aug 34.0 °C 32 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
24 Aug 26.4 °C 48 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
25 Aug 20.2 °C 42 % 47 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
26 Aug 25.7 °C 25 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 42
27 Aug 34.1 °C 22 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
28 Aug 38.3 °C 8 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
29 Aug 39.5 °C 18 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 70
30 Aug 39.2 °C 18 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 68
31 Aug 38.0 °C 21 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
1 Sept 35.4 °C 25 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
2 Sept 37.6 °C 22 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
3 Sept 39.7 °C 16 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 74
4 Sept 39.2 °C 20 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 72
5 Sept 32.2 °C 27 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
6 Sept 36.6 °C 24 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
7 Sept 40.7 °C 14 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 70
8 Sept 40.9 °C 11 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 84
9 Sept 40.2 °C 12 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 75
10 Sept 40.1 °C 15 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 75
11 Sept 39.8 °C 14 % 47 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 91
12 Sept 38.5 °C 20 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 73
13 Sept 39.6 °C 19 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 72
14 Sept 37.6 °C 24 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 61
15 Sept 32.3 °C 47 % 32 km/h 0.1 mm High 35
16 Sept 27.4 °C 59 % 29 km/h 0.1 mm High 28
17 Sept 35.5 °C 36 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
18 Sept 40.7 °C 21 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
19 Sept 39.2 °C 27 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
20 Sept 39.5 °C 25 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
21 Sept 38.4 °C 24 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
22 Sept 41.3 °C 19 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
23 Sept after 40.8 °C 21 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
24 Sept after 40.6 °C 22 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
25 Sept after 41.1 °C 23 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
26 Sept after 38.2 °C 35 % 40 km/h 0.7 mm Extreme 55
27 Sept after 30.2 °C 47 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
28 Sept after 35.8 °C 30 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
29 Sept after 40.6 °C 18 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
30 Sept after 39.3 °C 27 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
1 Oct after 40.1 °C 24 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 61
2 Oct after 38.0 °C 33 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48

Its twins: fires that started in the same weather

It started with an FWI of 49.8, a minimum humidity of 21% and more than two months without rain. Fires in the area that started in weather like this since 2016: 19.

FWI at the start 49.8
Minimum humidity 21 %
Days without rain 60+
this fire chosen twins rest of the area
Almost identicalSimilar

Outlines of the closest twins

Poconé fire, August 2020
63,590 ha 64 days FWI 49.4 Min. humidity 20 % 35 km away, in 2020

First rain (1 mm or more) after it ended: 2.9 mm on 11 Oct.

What happened to them

10 days
median duration
5,565 ha
median area
37 %
went past 10,000 ha
2.6 mm
rain at the end (median; 9 of 19 had it)

It was 23.1 times larger than the median of its twins and lasted 53 days, against 10 days.

Only 2 of its 19 twins burned more. The weather on the first day does not explain everything: the wind in the following days, the fuel and the firefighting also count. In 10 of 19, not even 1 mm fell in the ten days after the end: they went out without rain. In the rest, the first rainy day brought a median of 2.6 mm.

This is a bank of analogues: it shows what usually happens, not what will happen. With fewer than 15 twins we give no figures. How we calculate it

How it ended

—first rain
—no rain in ten days
47km/h · max. gust

It was considered over on 22 Sept, and not even 1 mm fell in the following ten days: it went out without rain. Twins with rain when they ended: 9 of 19, with a median of 2.6 mm.

Weather on this page: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Copernicus Climate Change Service (ERA5)

How a twin is chosen

  • Same area: fires that have already ended, less than 250 km from this one, since 2016.
  • Same start: we compare the FWI on the first day, the minimum humidity that day and the run of days without rain before it. The slider sets how much they may differ.
  • Only pages with final weather data (ERA5 reanalysis) calculated in the same way as this fire’s; agricultural and grass burns and pages with data under review are left out.
  • Fires burning at the same time as this one (a week before or after) are left out: they share the same spell of weather and do not count as a precedent.
  • They are sorted by similarity, and the outlines of the first five are drawn.

How we calculate it

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 25 Jul 2024
After · 29 Sept 2024

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

The smoke

CAMS · Copernicus

On 13 September 2024 the air beside the fire reached 186 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 121: 8.1 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak186 µg/m³
Days over the guideline40 days
PM10266 µg/m³
Optical depth3.35
30 Jul10 Aug21 Aug1 Sept12 Sept
Good Fair Moderate Poor Very poor Extremely poor

Particles from the Copernicus CAMS model at the centre of the perimeter; these are not measurements in each town. The pale bar is the worst hour, the solid one the daily average.

Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)

Detections table · 9,516Every 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 Brazil

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Barão de Melgaço fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 1 August 2024 to 22 September 2024 (53 days). The perimeter dates it from 1 August 2024 to 15 September 2024.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 128,779 hectares (1,287.8 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 2 municipalities: Barão de Melgaço (132,175 ha, 12 %); Poconé (149 ha, 0.0 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 41.3 °C, humidity dropped to 8 % and gusts hit 47 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 91, class Very extreme.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Brazil (geoBoundaries). It is not an official report.
How did the fires that started in similar weather in this area end?
Fires less than 250 km away that started since 2016 with a similar FWI, humidity and dry spell: 19. Their median duration was 10 days and their median area 5,565 ha; 37 % went past 10,000 ha. Only 2 of its 19 twins burned more. The weather on the first day does not explain everything: the wind in the following days, the fuel and the firefighting also count. In 10 of 19, not even 1 mm fell in the ten days after the end: they went out without rain. In the rest, the first rainy day brought a median of 2.6 mm.

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.

Emergency number: 193 · Emergency number and official warnings

Satellite cross-check

History of this page · 2 Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.
  1. Area: 131,515 → 128,779 ha.
  2. Last day with fire: 15 September 2024 → 22 September 2024.

RSS Changes to this page With cross-checks and a citable version

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.

Report an error
What do you think is wrong?

We will only use your email to reply about this report. Privacy. This is not an emergency service: if there is a fire now, call 193.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: GWIS (Copernicus), rebuilt from heat detections rather than mapped on imagery; 4 polygons grouped in this page.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 1 August 2024 to 15 September 2024. 9,516 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 2025, 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.