Kapuas fire, 23 August 2026 Kapuas, Pulang Pisau
The fire started on 23 August 2026 in Kapuas, Indonesia, and satellites saw it burning for 69 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 60,747 hectares from heat detections, spread across 2 municipalities.
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.
Other fire pages in the same area and on the same dates:
- 288,611 haPulang Pisau 6 August 2026 · 86 days
- 63,470 haKapuas 4 August 2026 · 83 days
- 49,970 haKapuas July 2026 · 65 days
- 40,324 haKapuas 8 August 2026 · 84 days
- 25,518 haKota Palangka Raya 20 July 2026 · 98 days
- 6,642 haKapuas 23 August 2026 · 24 days
- 5,989 haKapuas 10 September 2026 · 15 days
- 5,428 haPulang Pisau13 September 2026 · 43 days
It is the 9th largest in Central Kalimantan since 2016 (of 315 with a page). Number 19 in Indonesia in 2026, of 1020.
Compare with…
Is it still active?
Satellites detected fire on 30 Oct 2026, 18:04 UTC. Everything suggests it is still burning. Satellites pass a few times a day and cloud or smoke can hide the fire: a lack of detections is not an official extinction. Each country’s emergency service declares a fire contained or out.
- Burnt area
- 60,747ha
- GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
- Duration
- 69days
- 23 Aug 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
- Municipalities hit
- 2
- regencies
- Started on
- 23 Aug
- 2026
- Heat detections
- 6,844
- in a single hotspot: 247 MW
- Average daily power
- 759MW
- detected power per day, on average
Where it burned
How it evolved, day by day
Fire radiative power detected each day, in megawatts, and number of hotspots. The magenta bar marks the peak day.
The weather it burned in
It had gone 23 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 10.2 mm on 31 Oct.
This area had burned before
41% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 387 ha in 2016, 1,796 ha in 2018, 31,043 ha in 2019, 6,709 ha in 2023. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 25,048 ha that had burned before.
- 12,221 ha Pulang Pisau fire, August 2019 12,937 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 5,446 ha Kapuas fire, August 2019 21,739 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 2,695 ha Pulang Pisau fire, September 2023 2,697 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 1,856 ha Pulang Pisau fire, November 2019 2,030 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 1,366 ha Pulang Pisau fire, November 2019 2,320 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 411 ha Kapuas fire, September 2023 2,244 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
How big is it?
London boundary: geoBoundaries · Office for National Statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0).
Jakarta boundary: geoBoundaries · Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS - Statistics Indonesia), World Food Programme, OCHA ROAP (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
Paris boundary: geoBoundaries · Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière (IGN-F) (Etalab Open License 2.0).
Madrid boundary: geoBoundaries · Open Data ESRI, IGN Central Registry of Cartography Area (CC BY 4.0).
This compares size, not location: both shapes are at the same scale, north up, centred on each other.
What happened to each town
-
Kapuas where it started31,418 ha reached on 23 Aug1.8 %
-
29,560 ha reached on 27 Aug3.0 %
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 2025Inside the perimeter there were about 6.2 hectares of built-up land and about 900 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) · forecast models, provisional until the ERA5 reanalysis arrives
| Day | High | Min. humidity | Peak gust | Rain | Danger (FWI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug | 33.8 °C | 49 % | 30 km/h | 0.2 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 24 Aug | 34.4 °C | 46 % | 26 km/h | 0.3 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 25 Aug | 34.4 °C | 40 % | 33 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 26 Aug | 34.2 °C | 36 % | 23 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 27 Aug | 34.2 °C | 39 % | 28 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 28 Aug | 34.1 °C | 39 % | 30 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 29 Aug | 34.5 °C | 30 % | 29 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 30 Aug | 34.4 °C | 41 % | 25 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 31 Aug | 34.4 °C | 45 % | 27 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 1 Sept | 34.1 °C | 41 % | 28 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 2 Sept | 33.4 °C | 49 % | 30 km/h | 0.5 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 3 Sept | 33.8 °C | 47 % | 29 km/h | 0.4 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 4 Sept | 33.7 °C | 47 % | 31 km/h | 0.4 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 5 Sept | 34.3 °C | 40 % | 28 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 6 Sept | 33.6 °C | 52 % | 26 km/h | 0.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 7 Sept | 33.4 °C | 55 % | 31 km/h | 7.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 8 Sept | 33.9 °C | 54 % | 26 km/h | 2.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 9 Sept | 34.0 °C | 45 % | 30 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 10 Sept | 34.8 °C | 44 % | 28 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 11 Sept | 35.6 °C | 38 % | 30 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 12 Sept | 35.1 °C | 41 % | 24 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 13 Sept | 34.7 °C | 44 % | 26 km/h | 0.3 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 14 Sept | 36.0 °C | 35 % | 31 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 15 Sept | 35.2 °C | 41 % | 27 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 16 Sept | 34.6 °C | 43 % | 26 km/h | 1.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 17 Sept | 32.8 °C | 48 % | 27 km/h | 0.9 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 18 Sept | 36.1 °C | 31 % | 31 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 19 Sept | 36.5 °C | 33 % | 32 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 20 Sept | 35.2 °C | 43 % | 21 km/h | 0.7 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 21 Sept | 35.6 °C | 39 % | 21 km/h | 0.3 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 22 Sept | 36.2 °C | 32 % | 24 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 23 Sept | 36.2 °C | 37 % | 24 km/h | 0.4 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 24 Sept | 36.0 °C | 42 % | 26 km/h | 1.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 25 Sept | 33.9 °C | 53 % | 31 km/h | 8.9 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 26 Sept | 34.8 °C | 50 % | 21 km/h | 3.9 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 27 Sept | 34.3 °C | 52 % | 18 km/h | 3.3 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 28 Sept | 33.2 °C | 56 % | 24 km/h | 3.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 29 Sept | 34.7 °C | 46 % | 20 km/h | 1.3 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 30 Sept | 33.5 °C | 59 % | 24 km/h | 1.8 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 1 Oct | 35.0 °C | 40 % | 22 km/h | 5.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 2 Oct | 34.6 °C | 47 % | 24 km/h | 1.2 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 3 Oct | 35.2 °C | 42 % | 29 km/h | 0.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 4 Oct | 35.8 °C | 34 % | 23 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 5 Oct | 36.4 °C | 32 % | 25 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 6 Oct | 35.5 °C | 40 % | 22 km/h | 0.7 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 7 Oct | 36.1 °C | 36 % | 28 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 8 Oct | 35.6 °C | 35 % | 31 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 9 Oct | 35.2 °C | 39 % | 28 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 10 Oct | 34.0 °C | 52 % | 25 km/h | 4.3 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 11 Oct | 35.0 °C | 44 % | 19 km/h | 0.3 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 12 Oct | 35.7 °C | 37 % | 31 km/h | 0.1 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 13 Oct | 35.5 °C | 38 % | 29 km/h | 0.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 14 Oct | 35.2 °C | 44 % | 23 km/h | 0.4 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 15 Oct | 35.1 °C | 45 % | 16 km/h | 0.7 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 16 Oct | 34.9 °C | 42 % | 23 km/h | 2.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 17 Oct | 35.2 °C | 44 % | 29 km/h | 0.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 18 Oct | 33.8 °C | 55 % | 19 km/h | 3.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 19 Oct | 33.5 °C | 56 % | 23 km/h | 8.5 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 20 Oct | 34.3 °C | 51 % | 27 km/h | 0.9 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 21 Oct | 35.5 °C | 41 % | 28 km/h | 1.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 22 Oct | 36.1 °C | 37 % | 24 km/h | 0.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 23 Oct | 34.7 °C | 43 % | 27 km/h | 0.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 24 Oct | 35.0 °C | 46 % | 22 km/h | 1.0 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 25 Oct | 34.8 °C | 52 % | 19 km/h | 5.4 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 26 Oct | 33.8 °C | 55 % | 35 km/h | 15.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 27 Oct | 31.7 °C | 62 % | 25 km/h | 3.5 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 28 Oct | 33.1 °C | 69 % | 23 km/h | 6.8 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 29 Oct | 36.3 °C | 37 % | 30 km/h | 0.6 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 30 Oct | 36.3 °C | 33 % | 26 km/h | 0.8 mm | fwi. 0 |
| 31 Oct after | 31.8 °C | 73 % | 26 km/h | 10.2 mm | fwi. 0 |
Before and after, from space
Drag the line to compare the same ground before the fire and after it.
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 · CopernicusOn 21 September 2026 the air beside the fire reached 3,181 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 1,121: 75 times the WHO daily guideline (15).
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 · 6,844Every satellite heat detection, one by one, with time, satellite, power and coordinates.
| Date and time | Satellite | FRP (MW) | Lat | Lon |
|---|
Other fires nearby
Frequently asked questions
- How long did the Kapuas fire last?
- According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 23 August 2026 to 30 October 2026 (69 days). The perimeter dates it from 23 August 2026 to 29 October 2026.
- How much area did it burn?
- The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 60,747 hectares (607.5 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
- Which municipalities burned?
- The fire entered 2 municipalities: Kapuas (31,418 ha, 1.8 %); Pulang Pisau (29,560 ha, 3.0 %).
- Is the Kapuas fire still active?
- Yes: satellites detected fire on 30 Oct 2026, 18:04 UTC. Check the emergency service for the official status.
- What was the weather like?
- During the fire the temperature reached 36.5 °C, humidity dropped to 30 % and gusts hit 35 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 0, class Very low.
- Where does this data come from?
- From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Indonesia (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: 112 · 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.
- Last day with fire: 23 October 2026 → 25 October 2026.
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
How we know this
- Perimeter: GWIS (Copernicus), rebuilt from heat detections rather than mapped on imagery; 4 polygons grouped in this page.
- Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 23 August 2026 to 29 October 2026. 6,844 Suomi-NPP VIIRS detections on those dates.
- We have not matched this page with any official record.
- Weather: ECMWF IFS model, provisional until the ERA5 reanalysis arrives. No FWI: there are fewer than 30 days of data before the start.
- 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.
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.