Folgoso do Courel fire, July 2022
Folgoso do Courel, A Pobra do Brollón, Quiroga
Out · last detection 22 Jul 2022, 13:54 UTC
The fire started on 14 July 2022 in Folgoso do Courel, Spain, and satellites saw it burning for 10 days. Copernicus mapped a burnt perimeter of 13,989 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across 5 municipalities. According to EGIF (MITECO), the largest of the 2 recorded fires was detected on 14 July 2022 at 20:25 and declared extinguished on 28 July 2022.
It is the largest fire in Lugo since 2016 (of 34 with a page). Number 5 in Spain in 2022, of 196.
This is an index computed from weather model data, not a measurement of the fire nor an official warning. Danger warnings are issued by each country’s authority. Emergency number and official warnings ›
Weather during the fire
model
36.1°C · 23% RH
High of 36.1 °C and minimum humidity of 23% on 14 July 2022; gusts of 56 km/h on 18 July 2022.
These are model values for a cell of about 25 km, not from a weather station: they may differ from what was measured on the ground.
ⓘThis page’s change log has been kept since 24 October 2026: every night what it publishes is compared and the difference is logged. Anything earlier is reconstructed from each source’s date and marked as reconstructed.
Show
· reconstructedweather
Weather and FWI computed from the ERA5 reanalysis
· reconstructedofficial
Matched with the official EGIF (MITECO) record
Matches: 13,153 ha in the official record (records: 2).
A version keeps the area, dates, name and official record; the area as it was logged (changes under 2% are not logged). The map, hotspots and weather always show today’s data.
Citation
A lede of about 60 words figures only, no adjectives
Burnt area inside each municipality, 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.
Natura 2000 sites (European Environment Agency, 2024 release) crossed by the perimeter.
Land cover inside the perimeter according to Corine Land Cover, as reported by Copernicus.
Official record
Complex of 2 fires according to EGIF (MITECO)
According to EGIF (MITECO), 2 fires started inside this perimeter on these dates, totalling 13,153 ha (the satellite measured 13,989 ha).
EGIF (MITECO) records each fire that started at a different time or place separately; the satellite sees a single burned area, so this page groups them together. The numbers on the map show where each one started.
Official figures are measured differently from satellite ones and sometimes cover only part of the fire.
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)
14 Jul
36.1 °C
23 %
41 km/h
0.9 mm
Moderate 20
15 Jul
34.1 °C
23 %
37 km/h
1.1 mm
High 30
16 Jul
32.3 °C
30 %
20 km/h
0.6 mm
Moderate 19
17 Jul
34.9 °C
22 %
33 km/h
0.7 mm
High 35
18 Jul
30.7 °C
29 %
56 km/h
0.5 mm
High 26
19 Jul
22.5 °C
50 %
48 km/h
0.0 mm
High 26
20 Jul
27.7 °C
38 %
31 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 17
21 Jul
29.7 °C
40 %
34 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 17
22 Jul
24.2 °C
50 %
37 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 13
23 Jul
28.8 °C
39 %
29 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 15
24 Jul after
27.7 °C
44 %
39 km/h
0.0 mm
High 22
25 Jul after
23.7 °C
54 %
35 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 20
26 Jul after
24.2 °C
41 %
37 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 17
27 Jul after
24.6 °C
41 %
34 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 19
28 Jul after
23.5 °C
51 %
36 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 19
29 Jul after
25.3 °C
48 %
41 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 20
30 Jul after
30.1 °C
34 %
35 km/h
0.0 mm
Moderate 19
31 Jul after
31.9 °C
30 %
30 km/h
0.0 mm
High 21
1 Aug after
32.8 °C
31 %
28 km/h
0.0 mm
High 24
2 Aug after
32.4 °C
29 %
36 km/h
0.0 mm
High 26
Its twins: fires that started in the same weather
It started with an FWI of 20.3, a minimum humidity of 23% and 2 days without rain. Fires in the area that started in weather like this since 2016: 15.
FWI at the start20.3
Minimum humidity23 %
Days without rain2
this firechosen twinsrest of the area
Almost identicalSimilar
Outlines of the closest twins
This fire · Folgoso do Courel fire, July 2022
13,989 ha10 daysFWI 20.3Min. humidity 23 %
Laza fire, August 2022
3,634 ha7 daysFWI 19.5Min. humidity 24 %52 km away, in 2022
First rain (1 mm or more) after it ended: 6.1 mm on 16 Aug.
It was 30.9 times larger than the median of its twins and lasted 10 days, against 3 days.
None 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. In 3 of 15, 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 2.8 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
—first rain
—no rain in ten days
56km/h · max. gust
It was considered over on 23 Jul, and not even 1 mm fell in the following ten days: it went out without rain. Twins with rain when they ended: 12 of 15, with a median of 2.8 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.
Drag the line to compare the same ground before the fire and after it.
↔
Before · 7 Jul 2022
After · 30 Jul 2022
Sentinel-2 did not pass over on that day. Try another date, or use false colour, which is daily.
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 18 July 2022 the air beside the fire reached 123 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 48: 3.2 times the WHO daily guideline (15).
PM2.5 peak123µg/m³
Days over the guideline8days
PM10147µg/m³
WHO 15
12 Jul15 Jul18 Jul21 Jul24 Jul
GoodFairModeratePoorVery poorExtremely 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· 1,018Every satellite heat detection, one by one, with time, satellite, power and coordinates.›
⬇ Download CSVTimes in UTC. Each detection is a 375 m pixel: a large fire yields hundreds per pass.
Copernicus dates it between 14 July 2022 and 23 July 2022: 10 days between the first and last image with fire. According to EGIF (MITECO), the largest of the 2 recorded fires was detected on 14 July 2022 at 20:25 and declared extinguished on 28 July 2022.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter Copernicus measured from satellite imagery is 13,989 hectares (139.9 km²). Official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 5 municipalities: Folgoso do Courel (6,949 ha, 36 %); A Pobra do Brollón (3,537 ha, 20 %); Quiroga (2,240 ha, 7.0 %); Samos (1,176 ha, 8.6 %); O Incio (95 ha, 0.6 %).
Did the fire reach a town?
The fire started in Folgoso do Courel and reached its centre: the point marking it was inside the burnt area or less than 500 metres from it. That does not mean houses burned.
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 36.1 °C, humidity dropped to 22 % and gusts hit 56 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 35, class High.
Where does this data come from?
From the EFFIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Spain (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 3 days and their median area 453 ha; 27 % went past 1,000 ha. None 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. In 3 of 15, 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 2.8 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.
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 errorHow we know this›
Perimeter: EFFIS (Copernicus), mapped on satellite imagery; 2 polygons grouped in this page.
Dates from the perimeter: the VIIRS detections inside it did not change them. 1,018 Suomi-NPP VIIRS detections on those dates.
Compared with EGIF (MITECO): 13,153 official ha against 13,989 ha of perimeter; they agree within 25%.
Checked against news and agencies: 3 confirmed sources.
Weather: Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis at the fire location, in cells of about 25 km.
The perimeter and land cover come from the Copernicus European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), measured on MODIS and Sentinel-2 imagery and published under CC BY 4.0. 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 ADM3 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)). The area per municipality is computed by WorldFires by crossing the perimeter with those boundaries, so it may differ slightly from each country’s official figure.