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BR · Brazil · –

Caracaraí fire, 18 February 2024 Caracaraí

Out · last detection 30 Mar 2024, 17:38 UTC

The fire started on 18 February 2024 in Caracaraí, Brazil, and satellites saw it burning for 42 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 23,173 hectares from heat detections, spread across a single municipality.

It is the 6th largest in Roraima since 2016 (of 111 with a page). Number 129 in Brazil in 2024, of 1301.

Burnt area
23,173ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
42days
18 Feb 2024 – 30 Mar 2024
Municipalities hit
1
municipalities
Started on
18 Feb
2024
Heat detections
1,501
in a single hotspot: 233 MW
Danger at start
19
Moderate · FWI index
Average daily power
257MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 18 Feb30 Mar
30 Mar 2024

How it evolved, day by day

18 Feb 2024 · 5 MW · 1 19 Feb 2024 · 99 MW · 7 20 Feb 2024 · 173 MW · 42 21 Feb 2024 · 585 MW · 67 22 Feb 2024 · 788 MW · 121 23 Feb 2024 · 1,038 MW · 26 24 Feb 2024 · 339 MW · 59 25 Feb 2024 · 224 MW · 118 26 Feb 2024 · 117 MW · 49 28 Feb 2024 · 110 MW · 9 29 Feb 2024 · 347 MW · 53 1 Mar 2024 · 225 MW · 71 5 Mar 2024 · 107 MW · 17 6 Mar 2024 · 296 MW · 73 7 Mar 2024 · 31 MW · 17 8 Mar 2024 · 140 MW · 50 9 Mar 2024 · 172 MW · 26 10 Mar 2024 · 330 MW · 31 11 Mar 2024 · 40 MW · 6 13 Mar 2024 · 61 MW · 22 14 Mar 2024 · 34 MW · 12 15 Mar 2024 · 36 MW · 10 17 Mar 2024 · 8 MW · 5 18 Mar 2024 · 59 MW · 31 21 Mar 2024 · 443 MW · 54 22 Mar 2024 · 812 MW · 119 23 Mar 2024 · 834 MW · 251 24 Mar 2024 · 467 MW · 148 25 Mar 2024 · 13 MW · 3 27 Mar 2024 · 15 MW · 2 30 Mar 2024 · 7 MW · 1
18 Feb 23 Feb 7 Mar 15 Mar 25 Mar

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

The weather it burned in

35°high
46km/h · peak gust
30%lowest humidity

It had gone 3 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 5.5 mm on 31 Mar.

This area had burned before

57% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 8,676 ha in 2016, 211 ha in 2018, 8,757 ha in 2019. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 13,320 ha that had burned before.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 15% of the area of London (232 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. Caracaraí where it started
    23,656 ha reached on 18 Feb
    0.5 %

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 area< 0.1 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there was no noticeable built-up land and almost nobody lived there (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)

Day High Min. humidity Peak gust Rain Danger (FWI)
18 Feb 32.0 °C 41 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
19 Feb 32.3 °C 33 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
20 Feb 32.7 °C 32 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
21 Feb 33.5 °C 31 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm High 22
22 Feb 34.2 °C 30 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
23 Feb 34.4 °C 34 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
24 Feb 33.9 °C 38 % 46 km/h 0.2 mm High 26
25 Feb 32.0 °C 44 % 38 km/h 0.6 mm Moderate 19
26 Feb 31.7 °C 36 % 31 km/h 0.5 mm Moderate 20
27 Feb 31.5 °C 42 % 22 km/h 0.9 mm Moderate 13
28 Feb 32.3 °C 36 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
29 Feb 33.2 °C 33 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 22
1 Mar 30.4 °C 43 % 29 km/h 0.3 mm High 22
2 Mar 32.0 °C 38 % 26 km/h 0.1 mm High 22
3 Mar 32.9 °C 40 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
4 Mar 33.8 °C 38 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
5 Mar 33.6 °C 36 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
6 Mar 33.8 °C 40 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
7 Mar 32.9 °C 44 % 40 km/h 3.4 mm Low 9
8 Mar 32.3 °C 46 % 42 km/h 1.7 mm Low 11
9 Mar 33.0 °C 43 % 37 km/h 0.9 mm Moderate 15
10 Mar 34.5 °C 37 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 21
11 Mar 34.5 °C 34 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
12 Mar 34.3 °C 39 % 34 km/h 0.5 mm High 24
13 Mar 31.4 °C 46 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
14 Mar 34.1 °C 37 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
15 Mar 33.5 °C 39 % 34 km/h 0.2 mm High 26
16 Mar 28.8 °C 55 % 42 km/h 3.5 mm Low 5
17 Mar 32.2 °C 46 % 40 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 14
18 Mar 32.2 °C 43 % 42 km/h 0.1 mm High 22
19 Mar 32.5 °C 43 % 37 km/h 0.3 mm High 22
20 Mar 33.9 °C 36 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
21 Mar 33.7 °C 37 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
22 Mar 35.0 °C 32 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
23 Mar 34.3 °C 33 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
24 Mar 32.0 °C 36 % 36 km/h 0.4 mm High 30
25 Mar 32.8 °C 43 % 27 km/h 1.0 mm Moderate 16
26 Mar 32.3 °C 43 % 25 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 19
27 Mar 35.2 °C 39 % 34 km/h 0.1 mm High 24
28 Mar 27.6 °C 66 % 31 km/h 3.3 mm Very low 4
29 Mar 31.1 °C 50 % 26 km/h 2.4 mm Very low 5
30 Mar 35.2 °C 37 % 23 km/h 2.4 mm Low 9
31 Mar after 33.3 °C 42 % 35 km/h 5.5 mm Very low 4

Its twins: fires that started in the same weather

It started with an FWI of 18.7, a minimum humidity of 41% and 3 days without rain. Fires in the area that started in weather like this since 2016: 15.

FWI at the start 18.7
Minimum humidity 41 %
Days without rain 3
this fire chosen twins rest of the area
Almost identicalSimilar

Outlines of the closest twins

Iracema fire, March 2016
4,273 ha 5 days FWI 18.7 Min. humidity 39 % 90 km away, in 2016

First rain (1 mm or more) after it ended: 11.3 mm on 28 Mar.

What happened to them

9 days
median duration
5,290 ha
median area
33 %
went past 10,000 ha
5.8 mm
rain at the end (median; 15 of 15 had it)

It was 4.4 times larger than the median of its twins and lasted 42 days, against 9 days.

Only 2 of its 15 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. All of them had rain in the ten days after the end: the first rainy day brought a median of 5.8 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

5.5 mmfirst rain
31 Marthe day after it ended
46km/h · max. gust

It was considered over on 30 Mar, and on 31 Mar 5.5 mm fell. We do not know whether the rain or the firefighters put it out. Twins with rain when they ended: 15 of 15, with a median of 5.8 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 · 11 Feb 2024
After · 6 Apr 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 25 March 2024 the air beside the fire reached 207 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 94: 6.3 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak207 µg/m³
Days over the guideline28 days
PM10295 µg/m³
Optical depth3.38
20 Feb28 Feb7 Mar15 Mar23 Mar
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 · 1,501Every 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 Caracaraí fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 18 February 2024 to 30 March 2024 (42 days). The perimeter dates it from 22 February 2024 to 25 March 2024.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 23,173 hectares (231.7 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire only entered Caracaraí (23,656 ha, 0.5 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 35.2 °C, humidity dropped to 30 % and gusts hit 46 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 30, class High.
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: 15. Their median duration was 9 days and their median area 5,290 ha; 33 % went past 10,000 ha. Only 2 of its 15 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. All of them had rain in the ten days after the end: the first rainy day brought a median of 5.8 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. Last day with fire: 25 March 2024 → 30 March 2024.
  2. Start date: 22 February 2024 → 18 February 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; 3 polygons grouped in this page.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 22 February 2024 to 25 March 2024. 1,501 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.