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Isabela fire, January 2022 Isabela

Out · last detection 10 May 2022, 07:15 UTC

The fire started on 7 January 2022 in Isabela, Ecuador, and satellites saw it burning for 123 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 19,341 hectares from heat detections, spread across a single municipality.

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.

The largest in Ecuador in 2022, of 9.

Burnt area
19,341ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
123days
7 Jan 2022 – 9 May 2022
Municipalities hit
1
cantons
Started on
7 Jan
2022
Heat detections
11,232
in a single hotspot: 1,829 MW
Danger at start
5
Very low · FWI index
Energy released
265.8GW
sum of detected power

Where it burned

10 May 2022
HOTSPOTS BY DAY 7 Jan9 May

How it evolved, day by day

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

The weather it burned in

24°high
32km/h · peak gust
59%lowest humidity

It had gone 26 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 1.2 mm on 17 May.

This area had burned before

No earlier perimeters overlap this fire since 2016, when the satellite record begins.

What happened to each town

  1. Isabela where it started
    19,443 ha reached on 7 Jan
    3.6 %

Burnt area inside each municipality, from crossing the GWIS perimeter with administrative boundaries. The distance is from the town centre 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)
7 Jan 21.5 °C 68 % 23 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 5
8 Jan 21.5 °C 70 % 24 km/h 0.3 mm Low 6
9 Jan 20.8 °C 77 % 22 km/h 0.3 mm Low 6
10 Jan 22.1 °C 71 % 23 km/h 0.1 mm Low 6
11 Jan 22.4 °C 68 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
12 Jan 21.8 °C 74 % 24 km/h 0.2 mm Low 6
13 Jan 21.6 °C 70 % 21 km/h 0.2 mm Low 6
14 Jan 21.7 °C 71 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
15 Jan 21.8 °C 69 % 21 km/h 0.2 mm Low 6
16 Jan 21.8 °C 71 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
17 Jan 21.9 °C 70 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
18 Jan 22.4 °C 69 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
19 Jan 21.5 °C 74 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
20 Jan 21.9 °C 73 % 23 km/h 0.1 mm Low 7
21 Jan 22.6 °C 72 % 21 km/h 0.5 mm Low 7
22 Jan 21.4 °C 77 % 19 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 1
23 Jan 22.8 °C 70 % 19 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 2
24 Jan 22.3 °C 69 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
25 Jan 22.4 °C 71 % 24 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 4
26 Jan 22.3 °C 70 % 19 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 4
27 Jan 21.9 °C 71 % 26 km/h 1.1 mm Very low 3
28 Jan 21.4 °C 74 % 17 km/h 1.1 mm Very low 2
29 Jan 21.9 °C 73 % 20 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 2
30 Jan 22.4 °C 69 % 22 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 4
31 Jan 21.8 °C 74 % 20 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 1
1 Feb 21.5 °C 77 % 20 km/h 4.0 mm Very low 0
2 Feb 22.0 °C 74 % 17 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 1
3 Feb 22.7 °C 67 % 22 km/h 0.6 mm Very low 2
4 Feb 22.7 °C 69 % 20 km/h 1.0 mm Very low 2
5 Feb 22.6 °C 72 % 21 km/h 3.0 mm Very low 1
6 Feb 22.0 °C 72 % 22 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 1
7 Feb 22.3 °C 66 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
8 Feb 22.1 °C 67 % 23 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 2
9 Feb 21.5 °C 72 % 24 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 3
10 Feb 22.2 °C 68 % 25 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 4
11 Feb 22.6 °C 72 % 27 km/h 8.4 mm Very low 0
12 Feb 22.2 °C 79 % 20 km/h 5.9 mm Very low 0
13 Feb 21.9 °C 80 % 20 km/h 3.6 mm Very low 0
14 Feb 23.0 °C 73 % 20 km/h 2.4 mm Very low 0
15 Feb 22.6 °C 76 % 17 km/h 1.5 mm Very low 0
16 Feb 22.5 °C 77 % 18 km/h 1.1 mm Very low 0
17 Feb 22.3 °C 78 % 19 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 0
18 Feb 22.7 °C 76 % 23 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 0
19 Feb 23.4 °C 69 % 21 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 0
20 Feb 22.9 °C 75 % 20 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 0
21 Feb 23.4 °C 68 % 23 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 0
22 Feb 23.8 °C 64 % 20 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 1
23 Feb 24.2 °C 59 % 25 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 2
24 Feb 23.4 °C 65 % 20 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 2
25 Feb 23.8 °C 64 % 20 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 1
26 Feb 23.7 °C 65 % 22 km/h 1.6 mm Very low 1
27 Feb 23.3 °C 68 % 24 km/h 1.1 mm Very low 1
28 Feb 22.7 °C 73 % 24 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 1
1 Mar 23.1 °C 66 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
2 Mar 23.3 °C 69 % 24 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 2
3 Mar 23.2 °C 71 % 24 km/h 1.6 mm Very low 1
4 Mar 22.6 °C 75 % 19 km/h 7.5 mm Very low 0
5 Mar 22.0 °C 74 % 18 km/h 4.3 mm Very low 0
6 Mar 22.7 °C 72 % 22 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 0
7 Mar 23.3 °C 74 % 27 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 1
8 Mar 22.9 °C 79 % 30 km/h 11.4 mm Very low 0
9 Mar 22.6 °C 81 % 19 km/h 9.7 mm Very low 0
10 Mar 22.1 °C 81 % 20 km/h 83.4 mm Very low 0
11 Mar 23.2 °C 80 % 18 km/h 3.9 mm Very low 0
12 Mar 22.8 °C 81 % 23 km/h 3.0 mm Very low 0
13 Mar 23.5 °C 79 % 19 km/h 23.2 mm Very low 0
14 Mar 23.6 °C 72 % 15 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 0
15 Mar 23.6 °C 72 % 12 km/h 1.7 mm Very low 0
16 Mar 23.6 °C 74 % 16 km/h 2.1 mm Very low 0
17 Mar 23.9 °C 69 % 13 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 0
18 Mar 24.0 °C 72 % 15 km/h 2.1 mm Very low 0
19 Mar 23.8 °C 76 % 15 km/h 1.7 mm Very low 0
20 Mar 23.5 °C 78 % 20 km/h 13.0 mm Very low 0
21 Mar 23.4 °C 79 % 16 km/h 31.6 mm Very low 0
22 Mar 23.9 °C 77 % 18 km/h 8.7 mm Very low 0
23 Mar 23.5 °C 79 % 17 km/h 5.6 mm Very low 0
24 Mar 24.2 °C 74 % 24 km/h 6.1 mm Very low 0
25 Mar 24.0 °C 77 % 28 km/h 38.2 mm Very low 0
26 Mar 23.3 °C 80 % 16 km/h 21.7 mm Very low 0
27 Mar 23.7 °C 82 % 30 km/h 6.1 mm Very low 0
28 Mar 23.5 °C 81 % 32 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 0
29 Mar 23.8 °C 81 % 24 km/h 10.0 mm Very low 0
30 Mar 23.6 °C 79 % 18 km/h 13.9 mm Very low 0
31 Mar 22.6 °C 83 % 20 km/h 42.3 mm Very low 0
1 Apr 23.4 °C 80 % 19 km/h 3.8 mm Very low 0
2 Apr 23.9 °C 79 % 18 km/h 1.7 mm Very low 0
3 Apr 23.5 °C 78 % 19 km/h 15.8 mm Very low 0
4 Apr 23.5 °C 78 % 17 km/h 2.3 mm Very low 0
5 Apr 23.5 °C 79 % 13 km/h 2.1 mm Very low 0
6 Apr 23.8 °C 80 % 19 km/h 8.9 mm Very low 0
7 Apr 23.6 °C 80 % 24 km/h 2.2 mm Very low 0
8 Apr 23.7 °C 78 % 25 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 0
9 Apr 23.4 °C 80 % 16 km/h 3.7 mm Very low 0
10 Apr 23.4 °C 79 % 18 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 0
11 Apr 23.6 °C 82 % 25 km/h 1.7 mm Very low 0
12 Apr 23.4 °C 80 % 21 km/h 1.2 mm Very low 0
13 Apr 23.2 °C 81 % 18 km/h 8.8 mm Very low 0
14 Apr 22.8 °C 83 % 27 km/h 4.5 mm Very low 0
15 Apr 22.2 °C 84 % 19 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 0
16 Apr 22.3 °C 81 % 17 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 0
17 Apr 22.9 °C 83 % 23 km/h 6.8 mm Very low 0
18 Apr 22.1 °C 83 % 18 km/h 4.3 mm Very low 0
19 Apr 21.8 °C 84 % 17 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 0
20 Apr 21.6 °C 83 % 16 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 0
21 Apr 21.1 °C 85 % 18 km/h 2.3 mm Very low 0
22 Apr 21.7 °C 81 % 19 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 0
23 Apr 20.8 °C 83 % 22 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 0
24 Apr 21.0 °C 82 % 18 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 0
25 Apr 20.9 °C 82 % 18 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 0
26 Apr 20.5 °C 82 % 16 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 0
27 Apr 20.8 °C 81 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
28 Apr 21.1 °C 80 % 16 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 0
29 Apr 21.7 °C 78 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
30 Apr 21.7 °C 78 % 22 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 1
1 May 21.5 °C 79 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
2 May 21.0 °C 76 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
3 May 21.0 °C 76 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
4 May 21.8 °C 75 % 25 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 2
5 May 21.7 °C 76 % 17 km/h 2.1 mm Very low 0
6 May 21.0 °C 81 % 21 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 1
7 May 21.0 °C 79 % 28 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 1
8 May 21.6 °C 73 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
9 May 21.8 °C 73 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
10 May after 21.0 °C 77 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
11 May after 21.7 °C 73 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
12 May after 22.1 °C 70 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
13 May after 21.3 °C 73 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
14 May after 21.4 °C 74 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
15 May after 21.9 °C 72 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
16 May after 22.0 °C 72 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
17 May after 21.8 °C 74 % 20 km/h 1.2 mm Very low 1

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 31 Dec 2021
After · 16 May 2022

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 · 11,232Every 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 Ecuador ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Isabela fire last?
GWIS (Copernicus) dates it between 7 January 2022 and 9 May 2022: 123 days between the first and last heat detection of the perimeter.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 19,341 hectares (193.4 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire only entered Isabela (19,443 ha, 3.6 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 24.2 °C, humidity dropped to 59 % and gusts hit 32 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 7, class Low.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Ecuador (geoBoundaries). 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

Satellite cross-check

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.

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.