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Clear Hills fire, April 2016 Clear Hills, Peace River B

Out · last detection 6 Jun 2016, 21:29 UTC

The fire started on 18 April 2016 in Clear Hills, Canada, and satellites saw it burning for 103 days. Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 18,533 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across 2 census subdivisions.

It is the 45th largest in Alberta since 2016 (of 243 with a page). Number 12 in Canada in 2016, of 88.

Compare with…

Suggestions: Peace River B · 2025Clear Hills · 2023Clear Hills · 2023

Burnt area
18,533ha
official perimeter (CWFIS)
Duration
103days
18 Apr 2016 – 29 Jul 2016
Census subdivisions hit
2
municipalities
Started on
18 Apr
2016
Heat detections
650
in a single hotspot: 466 MW
Danger at start
21
Moderate · FWI index
Average daily power
580MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 18 Apr29 Jul
6 Jun 2016

How it evolved, day by day

6 May 2016 · 1,045 MW · 200 7 May 2016 · 315 MW · 38 8 May 2016 · 175 MW · 51 12 May 2016 · 2 MW · 1 14 May 2016 · 76 MW · 8 15 May 2016 · 1,073 MW · 31 16 May 2016 · 1,119 MW · 11 17 May 2016 · 1,813 MW · 253 18 May 2016 · 156 MW · 55 6 Jun 2016 · 25 MW · 2
6 May 8 May 14 May 16 May 17 May 18 May

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

The weather it burned in

25°high
74km/h · peak gust
10%lowest humidity

It had gone 5 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 2.5 mm on 31 Jul.

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 12% of the area of London (185 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 census subdivision

  1. Clear Hills where it started
    18,397 ha reached on 6 May
    1.2 %
  2. Peace River B
    4 ha reached on 6 May
    0.0 %

Burnt area inside each census subdivision, from crossing the official 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.

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 Apr 24.2 °C 10 % 74 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
19 Apr 13.3 °C 10 % 59 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
20 Apr 9.7 °C 26 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 12
21 Apr 12.2 °C 23 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
22 Apr 6.1 °C 31 % 44 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 12
23 Apr 4.1 °C 51 % 37 km/h 3.5 mm Very low 1
24 Apr 9.2 °C 49 % 17 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 1
25 Apr 8.1 °C 72 % 23 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 0
26 Apr 11.7 °C 20 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
27 Apr 14.9 °C 25 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
28 Apr 16.4 °C 27 % 44 km/h 0.3 mm Low 8
29 Apr 13.9 °C 20 % 43 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 11
30 Apr 14.4 °C 13 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
1 May 20.8 °C 27 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
2 May 24.7 °C 16 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
3 May 23.6 °C 15 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
4 May 13.8 °C 21 % 67 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
5 May 13.6 °C 17 % 52 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
6 May 17.5 °C 19 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
7 May 15.0 °C 31 % 43 km/h 0.7 mm Moderate 15
8 May 8.9 °C 45 % 65 km/h 13.4 mm Very low 0
9 May 9.6 °C 31 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
10 May 13.7 °C 26 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
11 May 10.1 °C 29 % 41 km/h 0.1 mm Low 8
12 May 12.2 °C 21 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
13 May 15.7 °C 18 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 13
14 May 17.6 °C 19 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
15 May 19.8 °C 19 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
16 May 21.2 °C 17 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
17 May 18.7 °C 30 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
18 May 15.2 °C 29 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
19 May 4.8 °C 56 % 58 km/h 2.9 mm Very low 3
20 May 0.3 °C 80 % 38 km/h 13.3 mm Very low 0
21 May 8.9 °C 53 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
22 May 13.3 °C 44 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
23 May 18.3 °C 25 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
24 May 20.2 °C 27 % 28 km/h 0.4 mm Low 11
25 May 13.0 °C 48 % 37 km/h 3.6 mm Very low 1
26 May 13.6 °C 50 % 32 km/h 6.1 mm Very low 0
27 May 10.4 °C 67 % 35 km/h 4.1 mm Very low 0
28 May 4.5 °C 91 % 40 km/h 12.5 mm Very low 0
29 May 9.9 °C 46 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
30 May 10.9 °C 45 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
31 May 14.6 °C 39 % 33 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 1
1 Jun 17.8 °C 37 % 33 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 4
2 Jun 16.0 °C 43 % 34 km/h 4.4 mm Very low 0
3 Jun 16.8 °C 32 % 61 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
4 Jun 19.1 °C 21 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
5 Jun 22.5 °C 19 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
6 Jun 23.4 °C 18 % 53 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 20
7 Jun 19.2 °C 29 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
8 Jun 15.5 °C 44 % 39 km/h 2.2 mm Very low 3
9 Jun 13.0 °C 66 % 45 km/h 6.3 mm Very low 0
10 Jun 18.3 °C 33 % 35 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 2
11 Jun 10.3 °C 75 % 23 km/h 10.7 mm Very low 0
12 Jun 16.5 °C 44 % 62 km/h 3.4 mm Very low 0
13 Jun 15.5 °C 39 % 34 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 1
14 Jun 13.1 °C 62 % 23 km/h 8.8 mm Very low 0
15 Jun 8.3 °C 95 % 67 km/h 37.1 mm Very low 0
16 Jun 7.7 °C 87 % 55 km/h 14.7 mm Very low 0
17 Jun 16.8 °C 48 % 46 km/h 4.9 mm Very low 0
18 Jun 19.3 °C 43 % 33 km/h 1.2 mm Very low 0
19 Jun 21.2 °C 33 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
20 Jun 23.4 °C 32 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
21 Jun 22.9 °C 39 % 32 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 4
22 Jun 19.7 °C 50 % 36 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 2
23 Jun 16.6 °C 69 % 29 km/h 3.8 mm Very low 0
24 Jun 18.1 °C 57 % 20 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 1
25 Jun 19.6 °C 58 % 33 km/h 5.7 mm Very low 0
26 Jun 20.0 °C 57 % 35 km/h 2.0 mm Very low 0
27 Jun 22.3 °C 41 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
28 Jun 24.2 °C 36 % 21 km/h 1.8 mm Very low 1
29 Jun 24.3 °C 42 % 34 km/h 3.2 mm Very low 1
30 Jun 16.3 °C 76 % 27 km/h 14.7 mm Very low 0
1 Jul 20.4 °C 43 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
2 Jul 18.7 °C 40 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
3 Jul 15.4 °C 58 % 37 km/h 6.3 mm Very low 0
4 Jul 17.1 °C 45 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
5 Jul 18.4 °C 61 % 24 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 1
6 Jul 20.7 °C 50 % 22 km/h 2.1 mm Very low 1
7 Jul 15.6 °C 76 % 27 km/h 13.1 mm Very low 0
8 Jul 14.9 °C 65 % 31 km/h 10.5 mm Very low 0
9 Jul 19.1 °C 57 % 22 km/h 8.8 mm Very low 0
10 Jul 20.3 °C 53 % 19 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 0
11 Jul 20.7 °C 50 % 17 km/h 0.6 mm Very low 1
12 Jul 19.5 °C 48 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
13 Jul 18.9 °C 44 % 31 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 4
14 Jul 21.0 °C 37 % 22 km/h 0.2 mm Low 6
15 Jul 22.1 °C 38 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
16 Jul 20.4 °C 57 % 35 km/h 2.9 mm Very low 1
17 Jul 22.8 °C 41 % 21 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 3
18 Jul 23.6 °C 37 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
19 Jul 22.8 °C 48 % 31 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 2
20 Jul 19.2 °C 63 % 31 km/h 10.2 mm Very low 0
21 Jul 12.4 °C 72 % 29 km/h 6.5 mm Very low 0
22 Jul 16.6 °C 54 % 44 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 0
23 Jul 18.2 °C 49 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
24 Jul 19.1 °C 38 % 63 km/h 0.4 mm Low 7
25 Jul 20.5 °C 35 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
26 Jul 22.1 °C 38 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
27 Jul 21.5 °C 46 % 23 km/h 0.1 mm Low 8
28 Jul 22.7 °C 40 % 30 km/h 0.8 mm Low 7
29 Jul 20.6 °C 39 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
30 Jul after 16.7 °C 50 % 27 km/h 0.5 mm Low 8
31 Jul after 16.0 °C 71 % 34 km/h 2.5 mm Very low 1

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 11 Apr 2016
After · 5 Aug 2016

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 · 650Every 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 Canada ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Clear Hills fire last?
It burned between 18 April 2016 and 29 July 2016: 103 days, according to the dates recorded by Canada’s CWFIS and the heat detections seen by satellite.
How much area did it burn?
The official perimeter mapped by Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) is 18,533 hectares (185.3 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.
Which census subdivisions burned?
The fire entered 2 census subdivisions: Clear Hills (18,397 ha, 1.2 %); Peace River B (4 ha, 0.0 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 24.7 °C, humidity dropped to 10 % and gusts hit 74 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 25, class High.
Where does this data come from?
From the official burnt perimeter of Canada’s CWFIS (NBAC, Natural Resources Canada) or, for the current season and until NBAC publishes it, the one rebuilt by GWIS (Copernicus); from NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots; and from the administrative boundaries of Canada. 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.

Emergency number: 911 · Emergency number and official warnings ›

Satellite cross-check

History of this page Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.

No changes since 24 October 2026.

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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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 911.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: NBAC (Natural Resources Canada), official.
  • Dates from the perimeter: the VIIRS detections inside it did not change them. 650 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.

How we build fire pages: methodology ›

Where this data comes from

The perimeter is official: it comes from the National Burned Area Composite (NBAC) of the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), Natural Resources Canada, which maps it on satellite imagery and publishes it under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Until NBAC publishes the current season, this year’s fires carry the perimeter rebuilt from heat detections by GWIS (Copernicus, CC BY 4.0), which is approximate. Heat detections come from the VIIRS sensors aboard Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20, distributed by NASA FIRMS at 375 m resolution. Census subdivision boundaries come from geoBoundaries ADM3 (Open Data Commons Open Database License 1.0). The area per census subdivision is computed by WorldFires by crossing the perimeter with those boundaries, so it may differ slightly from official figures.