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Lithgow fire, October 2019 Lithgow, Hawkesbury, Singleton

Out · last detection 15 Jan 2020, 15:13 UTC

The fire started on 26 October 2019 in Lithgow, Australia, and satellites saw it burning for 82 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 855,014 hectares from heat detections, spread across 9 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.

It is the largest fire in New South Wales since 2016 (of 130 with a page). The largest in Australia in 2019, of 802.

Burnt area
855,014ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
82days
26 Oct 2019 – 15 Jan 2020
Municipalities hit
9
local government areas
Started on
26 Oct
2019
Heat detections
79,295
in a single hotspot: 1,528 MW
Danger at start
40
Very high · FWI index
Energy released
851.0GW
sum of detected power

Where it burned

15 Jan 2020
HOTSPOTS BY DAY 26 Oct15 Jan

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

40°high
111km/h · peak gust
8%lowest humidity

It had gone 13 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 6.2 mm on 16 Jan.

This area had burned before

4% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 21,426 ha in 2016, 4,601 ha in 2017, 7,949 ha in 2018.

What happened to each town

  1. Lithgow where it started
    233,212 ha reached on 26 Oct
    52 %
  2. Hawkesbury
    188,166 ha reached on 12 Nov
    68 %
  3. Singleton
    173,742 ha reached on 7 Nov
    35 %
  4. Muswellbrook
    95,022 ha reached on 23 Nov
    28 %
  5. Mid-Western
    64,783 ha reached on 7 Dec
    7.4 %
  6. Cessnock
    46,104 ha reached on 26 Nov
    23 %
  7. Blue Mountains
    34,859 ha reached on 5 Dec
    24 %
  8. Central Coast (NSW)
    21,642 ha reached on 26 Nov
    13 %
  9. Hornsby
    5 ha
    0.0 %

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)
26 Oct 24.6 °C 21 % 98 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
27 Oct 23.2 °C 12 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
28 Oct 22.5 °C 26 % 50 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
29 Oct 27.1 °C 18 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
30 Oct 27.6 °C 21 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
31 Oct 28.8 °C 24 % 32 km/h 0.2 mm High 23
1 Nov 29.3 °C 21 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
2 Nov 29.3 °C 23 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
3 Nov 25.7 °C 42 % 65 km/h 21.8 mm Very low 2
4 Nov 22.5 °C 28 % 56 km/h 3.5 mm Very low 3
5 Nov 19.8 °C 20 % 48 km/h 0.4 mm Low 10
6 Nov 23.7 °C 23 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
7 Nov 24.6 °C 17 % 82 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
8 Nov 24.2 °C 25 % 84 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
9 Nov 16.3 °C 24 % 59 km/h 0.0 mm High 22
10 Nov 22.7 °C 30 % 60 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
11 Nov 25.7 °C 21 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
12 Nov 29.5 °C 11 % 72 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
13 Nov 20.7 °C 15 % 52 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
14 Nov 25.0 °C 21 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
15 Nov 27.3 °C 15 % 62 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
16 Nov 26.5 °C 13 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
17 Nov 26.0 °C 8 % 53 km/h 0.3 mm High 34
18 Nov 26.9 °C 20 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
19 Nov 31.5 °C 13 % 52 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
20 Nov 27.9 °C 31 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
21 Nov 35.2 °C 12 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
22 Nov 34.9 °C 21 % 64 km/h 2.9 mm High 27
23 Nov 27.6 °C 52 % 44 km/h 5.9 mm Very low 2
24 Nov 23.2 °C 52 % 37 km/h 0.7 mm Low 5
25 Nov 29.5 °C 29 % 53 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 17
26 Nov 27.2 °C 20 % 111 km/h 0.3 mm Very high 45
27 Nov 25.6 °C 19 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
28 Nov 30.2 °C 19 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
29 Nov 31.6 °C 14 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
30 Nov 31.1 °C 18 % 67 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 39
1 Dec 25.5 °C 13 % 60 km/h 0.1 mm High 37
2 Dec 14.9 °C 38 % 96 km/h 2.0 mm Moderate 12
3 Dec 22.9 °C 23 % 69 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
4 Dec 25.6 °C 15 % 64 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
5 Dec 28.8 °C 15 % 61 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
6 Dec 28.5 °C 12 % 66 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
7 Dec 30.2 °C 13 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
8 Dec 28.4 °C 30 % 49 km/h 0.2 mm High 30
9 Dec 34.3 °C 20 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
10 Dec 37.6 °C 11 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 42
11 Dec 30.5 °C 32 % 54 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
12 Dec 30.5 °C 21 % 60 km/h 0.1 mm High 34
13 Dec 27.8 °C 24 % 56 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
14 Dec 30.7 °C 18 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
15 Dec 31.8 °C 14 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
16 Dec 29.1 °C 16 % 57 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
17 Dec 27.6 °C 35 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
18 Dec 33.0 °C 18 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
19 Dec 37.5 °C 14 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
20 Dec 32.5 °C 26 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 38
21 Dec 40.3 °C 10 % 69 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
22 Dec 23.9 °C 42 % 54 km/h 0.1 mm High 31
23 Dec 27.2 °C 37 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
24 Dec 27.5 °C 40 % 52 km/h 1.0 mm High 22
25 Dec 25.5 °C 50 % 39 km/h 1.3 mm Moderate 12
26 Dec 31.4 °C 26 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
27 Dec 32.2 °C 22 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
28 Dec 36.3 °C 11 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 42
29 Dec 37.8 °C 10 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
30 Dec 36.7 °C 13 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
31 Dec 37.3 °C 12 % 54 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
1 Jan 37.1 °C 16 % 53 km/h 0.1 mm Extreme 57
2 Jan 31.3 °C 36 % 53 km/h 0.4 mm Very high 40
3 Jan 37.1 °C 19 % 50 km/h 0.8 mm Very high 46
4 Jan 40.4 °C 14 % 58 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
5 Jan 30.9 °C 30 % 68 km/h 0.7 mm Very high 42
6 Jan 26.2 °C 45 % 51 km/h 0.7 mm High 24
7 Jan 31.5 °C 36 % 36 km/h 3.5 mm Low 10
8 Jan 32.4 °C 33 % 44 km/h 0.7 mm High 25
9 Jan 23.9 °C 61 % 46 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 20
10 Jan 36.1 °C 20 % 50 km/h 0.2 mm Very high 40
11 Jan 27.2 °C 35 % 45 km/h 2.3 mm Moderate 13
12 Jan 20.7 °C 52 % 50 km/h 2.8 mm Low 6
13 Jan 24.4 °C 40 % 46 km/h 1.4 mm Low 10
14 Jan 28.9 °C 36 % 46 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 21
15 Jan 29.7 °C 36 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
16 Jan after 25.2 °C 56 % 38 km/h 6.2 mm Very low 3

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 19 Oct 2019
After · 22 Jan 2020

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 · 79,295Every 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

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Lithgow fire last?
GWIS (Copernicus) dates it between 26 October 2019 and 15 January 2020: 82 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 855,014 hectares (8,550.1 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 9 municipalities: Lithgow (233,212 ha, 52 %); Hawkesbury (188,166 ha, 68 %); Singleton (173,742 ha, 35 %); Muswellbrook (95,022 ha, 28 %); Mid-Western (64,783 ha, 7.4 %); Cessnock (46,104 ha, 23 %); Blue Mountains (34,859 ha, 24 %); Central Coast (NSW) (21,642 ha, 13 %); Hornsby (5 ha, 0.0 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 40.4 °C, humidity dropped to 8 % and gusts hit 111 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 62, class Extreme.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Australia (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: 000

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 000.

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 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 from each country’s official figure.