Skip to content
worldfires
BR · Brazil · –

Goiatins fire, 11 August 2024 Goiatins

Out · last detection 20 Sept 2024, 16:31 UTC

The fire started on 11 August 2024 in Goiatins, Brazil, and satellites saw it burning for 41 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 7,238 hectares from heat detections, spread across a single municipality.

It is the 290th largest in Tocantins since 2016 (of 1036 with a page). Number 455 in Brazil in 2024, of 1301.

Burnt area
7,238ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
41days
11 Aug 2024 – 20 Sept 2024
Municipalities hit
1
municipalities
Started on
11 Aug
2024
Heat detections
265
in a single hotspot: 60 MW
Danger at start
37
High · FWI index
Average daily power
53MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 11 Aug20 Sept
20 Sept 2024

How it evolved, day by day

11 Aug 2024 · 5 MW · 3 14 Aug 2024 · 5 MW · 2 16 Aug 2024 · 8 MW · 2 17 Aug 2024 · 2 MW · 2 20 Aug 2024 · 5 MW · 3 21 Aug 2024 · 27 MW · 7 22 Aug 2024 · 5 MW · 3 23 Aug 2024 · 6 MW · 3 24 Aug 2024 · 5 MW · 1 25 Aug 2024 · 44 MW · 6 26 Aug 2024 · 36 MW · 10 27 Aug 2024 · 62 MW · 10 28 Aug 2024 · 459 MW · 26 29 Aug 2024 · 384 MW · 54 30 Aug 2024 · 82 MW · 15 31 Aug 2024 · 44 MW · 5 1 Sept 2024 · 40 MW · 13 2 Sept 2024 · 46 MW · 10 3 Sept 2024 · 54 MW · 15 4 Sept 2024 · 30 MW · 4 5 Sept 2024 · 147 MW · 12 6 Sept 2024 · 50 MW · 10 7 Sept 2024 · 21 MW · 9 8 Sept 2024 · 8 MW · 4 9 Sept 2024 · 28 MW · 4 10 Sept 2024 · 34 MW · 6 11 Sept 2024 · 2 MW · 2 12 Sept 2024 · 11 MW · 6 13 Sept 2024 · 58 MW · 11 14 Sept 2024 · 8 MW · 3 17 Sept 2024 · 1 MW · 1 19 Sept 2024 · 11 MW · 2 20 Sept 2024 · 6 MW · 1
11 Aug 23 Aug 28 Aug 6 Sept 13 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

40°high
51km/h · peak gust
10%lowest humidity

It had gone more than two months without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 2.8 mm on 29 Sept.

This area had burned before

29% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 681 ha in 2016, 1,894 ha in 2019, 91 ha in 2022. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 2,073 ha that had burned before.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 4.6% of the area of London (72 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. Goiatins 12,433 inhabitants where it started
    7,283 ha reached on 11 Aug
    1.1 %

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 area0.79 ha
Residents≈ 60

Inside the perimeter there were about 0.79 hectares of built-up land and about 60 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)
11 Aug 36.6 °C 31 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
12 Aug 37.8 °C 23 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
13 Aug 35.5 °C 36 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
14 Aug 32.4 °C 41 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
15 Aug 36.4 °C 27 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
16 Aug 37.1 °C 23 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
17 Aug 36.7 °C 25 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
18 Aug 37.0 °C 22 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
19 Aug 36.8 °C 20 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
20 Aug 37.2 °C 22 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
21 Aug 38.0 °C 21 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
22 Aug 38.4 °C 20 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
23 Aug 37.5 °C 22 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 60
24 Aug 36.8 °C 22 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
25 Aug 37.7 °C 22 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
26 Aug 38.3 °C 23 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
27 Aug 38.5 °C 19 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
28 Aug 37.9 °C 11 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
29 Aug 36.1 °C 15 % 51 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 72
30 Aug 36.6 °C 21 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
31 Aug 36.8 °C 20 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
1 Sept 37.5 °C 18 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
2 Sept 38.1 °C 16 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
3 Sept 37.9 °C 19 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
4 Sept 39.6 °C 10 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
5 Sept 39.2 °C 11 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
6 Sept 38.6 °C 16 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 68
7 Sept 38.9 °C 15 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 70
8 Sept 38.8 °C 14 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 68
9 Sept 38.0 °C 17 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 68
10 Sept 38.4 °C 17 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
11 Sept 38.8 °C 19 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
12 Sept 38.8 °C 19 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 67
13 Sept 38.9 °C 16 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 67
14 Sept 38.4 °C 19 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
15 Sept 39.1 °C 19 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
16 Sept 40.2 °C 18 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
17 Sept 40.2 °C 17 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
18 Sept 40.0 °C 15 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 68
19 Sept 38.9 °C 18 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 60
20 Sept 39.7 °C 18 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
21 Sept after 39.6 °C 17 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
22 Sept after 40.2 °C 15 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
23 Sept after 40.0 °C 14 % 34 km/h 0.1 mm Extreme 58
24 Sept after 37.5 °C 33 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
25 Sept after 32.8 °C 39 % 36 km/h 0.2 mm Very high 40
26 Sept after 37.7 °C 28 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
27 Sept after 38.5 °C 24 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
28 Sept after 37.4 °C 25 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 42
29 Sept after 35.6 °C 39 % 37 km/h 2.8 mm Very high 48

Its twins: fires that started in the same weather

It started with an FWI of 37.0, a minimum humidity of 31% and more than two months without rain. Fires in the area that started in weather like this since 2016: 23.

FWI at the start 37.0
Minimum humidity 31 %
Days without rain 60+
this fire chosen twins rest of the area
Almost identicalSimilar

Outlines of the closest twins

Riachão fire, September 2020
3,124 ha 17 days FWI 36.8 Min. humidity 28 % 77 km away, in 2020

First rain (1 mm or more) after it ended: 4.8 mm on 11 Oct.

What happened to them

13 days
median duration
4,044 ha
median area
4 %
went past 10,000 ha
4.8 mm
rain at the end (median; 5 of 23 had it)

It was 1.8 times larger than the median of its twins and lasted 41 days, against 13 days.

Only 3 of its 23 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 18 of 23, 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 4.8 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

2.8 mmfirst rain
29 Sept9 days after it ended
51km/h · max. gust

It was considered over on 20 Sept, and on 29 Sept 2.8 mm fell. We do not know whether the rain or the firefighters put it out. Twins with rain when they ended: 5 of 23, with a median of 4.8 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 · 4 Aug 2024
After · 27 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 31 August 2024 the air beside the fire reached 22 µg/m³ of PM2.5, but no daily average passed the WHO guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak22 µg/m³
Days over the guideline0 days
PM1032 µg/m³
Optical depth0.40
9 Aug17 Aug25 Aug2 Sept10 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 · 265Every 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 Goiatins fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 11 August 2024 to 20 September 2024 (41 days). The perimeter dates it from 11 August 2024 to 13 September 2024.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 7,238 hectares (72.4 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire only entered Goiatins (7,283 ha, 1.1 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 40.2 °C, humidity dropped to 10 % and gusts hit 51 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 72, 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: 23. Their median duration was 13 days and their median area 4,044 ha; 4 % went past 10,000 ha. Only 3 of its 23 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 18 of 23, 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 4.8 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 · 1 Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.
  1. Last day with fire: 13 September 2024 → 20 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.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 11 August 2024 to 13 September 2024. 265 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.