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Mackenzie County fire, 30 June 2023 Mackenzie County

Out · last detection 16 Oct 2023, 09:57 UTC

The fire started on 30 June 2023 in Mackenzie County, Canada, and satellites saw it burning for 109 days. Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 11,184 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across a single census subdivision.

It is the 64th largest in Alberta since 2016 (of 244 with a page). Number 162 in Canada in 2023, of 489.

Compare with…

Suggestions: Mackenzie County · 2017Improvement District No. 24 W* · 2023Improvement District No. 24 W* · 2023

Burnt area
11,184ha
official perimeter (CWFIS)
Duration
109days
30 Jun 2023 – 16 Oct 2023
Census subdivisions hit
1
municipalities
Started on
30 Jun
2023
Heat detections
2,323
in a single hotspot: 168 MW
Danger at start
19
Moderate · FWI index
Average daily power
354MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 30 Jun16 Oct
16 Oct 2023

How it evolved, day by day

1 Jul 2023 · 674 MW · 205 4 Jul 2023 · 6 MW · 1 5 Jul 2023 · 96 MW · 2 6 Jul 2023 · 616 MW · 91 7 Jul 2023 · 1,238 MW · 111 8 Jul 2023 · 988 MW · 152 9 Jul 2023 · 4,431 MW · 335 10 Jul 2023 · 473 MW · 187 11 Jul 2023 · 24 MW · 8 12 Jul 2023 · 290 MW · 71 13 Jul 2023 · 1,019 MW · 100 14 Jul 2023 · 820 MW · 226 15 Jul 2023 · 1,284 MW · 252 16 Jul 2023 · 927 MW · 184 17 Jul 2023 · 453 MW · 138 18 Jul 2023 · 34 MW · 32 21 Jul 2023 · 6 MW · 1 22 Jul 2023 · 4 MW · 2 23 Jul 2023 · 3 MW · 3 24 Jul 2023 · 1 MW · 1 21 Aug 2023 · 6 MW · 1 22 Aug 2023 · 2 MW · 2 25 Aug 2023 · 4 MW · 1 1 Sept 2023 · 3 MW · 1 2 Sept 2023 · 483 MW · 142 3 Sept 2023 · 38 MW · 6 22 Sept 2023 · 15 MW · 3 23 Sept 2023 · 119 MW · 11 24 Sept 2023 · 13 MW · 2 27 Sept 2023 · 3 MW · 3 1 Oct 2023 · 9 MW · 8 3 Oct 2023 · 19 MW · 2 8 Oct 2023 · 11 MW · 1 9 Oct 2023 · 5 MW · 2 10 Oct 2023 · 9 MW · 8 11 Oct 2023 · 16 MW · 14 12 Oct 2023 · 3 MW · 2 14 Oct 2023 · 1 MW · 1 15 Oct 2023 · 3 MW · 2 16 Oct 2023 · 11 MW · 9
1 Jul 9 Jul 15 Jul 23 Jul 2 Sept 1 Oct 12 Oct

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

The weather it burned in

30°high
54km/h · peak gust
24%lowest humidity

It had gone 0 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 3.2 mm on 21 Oct.

This area had burned before

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

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 7.1% of the area of London (112 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 census subdivision

  1. Mackenzie County where it started
    11,007 ha reached on 1 Jul
    0.1 %

Burnt area inside each census subdivision, 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.

People and buildings inside the perimeter

GHSL 2025
Built-up area< 0.1 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there was no noticeable built-up land and almost nobody lived there (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)

Day High Min. humidity Peak gust Rain Danger (FWI)
30 Jun 27.7 °C 27 % 49 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 19
1 Jul 24.7 °C 28 % 27 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 17
2 Jul 18.7 °C 61 % 43 km/h 9.4 mm Very low 0
3 Jul 22.1 °C 37 % 51 km/h 1.0 mm Very low 4
4 Jul 24.9 °C 26 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
5 Jul 27.6 °C 36 % 29 km/h 1.5 mm Low 9
6 Jul 24.7 °C 28 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
7 Jul 27.8 °C 25 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
8 Jul 30.2 °C 35 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
9 Jul 24.2 °C 35 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
10 Jul 24.1 °C 33 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
11 Jul 27.6 °C 35 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
12 Jul 28.9 °C 26 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
13 Jul 28.2 °C 25 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
14 Jul 26.4 °C 26 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
15 Jul 25.0 °C 30 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
16 Jul 26.6 °C 36 % 29 km/h 0.2 mm High 24
17 Jul 22.9 °C 53 % 36 km/h 4.6 mm Very low 4
18 Jul 21.7 °C 60 % 22 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 4
19 Jul 25.4 °C 43 % 21 km/h 0.5 mm Low 8
20 Jul 27.0 °C 43 % 21 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 13
21 Jul 29.3 °C 32 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
22 Jul 28.0 °C 30 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
23 Jul 28.3 °C 32 % 22 km/h 0.6 mm High 22
24 Jul 26.6 °C 37 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
25 Jul 19.5 °C 66 % 38 km/h 34.8 mm Very low 0
26 Jul 17.4 °C 78 % 38 km/h 3.5 mm Very low 0
27 Jul 22.4 °C 38 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
28 Jul 25.2 °C 34 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
29 Jul 26.6 °C 34 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
30 Jul 27.1 °C 36 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
31 Jul 20.9 °C 61 % 26 km/h 0.9 mm Low 7
1 Aug 22.0 °C 56 % 28 km/h 5.0 mm Very low 1
2 Aug 22.3 °C 50 % 15 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 2
3 Aug 16.8 °C 88 % 21 km/h 12.0 mm Very low 0
4 Aug 23.7 °C 50 % 30 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 0
5 Aug 25.6 °C 44 % 24 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 2
6 Aug 22.2 °C 50 % 27 km/h 1.6 mm Very low 2
7 Aug 22.6 °C 35 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
8 Aug 22.7 °C 37 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
9 Aug 15.6 °C 64 % 28 km/h 17.2 mm Very low 0
10 Aug 16.1 °C 88 % 20 km/h 6.5 mm Very low 0
11 Aug 17.9 °C 71 % 18 km/h 4.6 mm Very low 0
12 Aug 23.0 °C 54 % 33 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 0
13 Aug 28.6 °C 38 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
14 Aug 23.5 °C 34 % 50 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
15 Aug 18.6 °C 62 % 19 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 2
16 Aug 23.4 °C 41 % 41 km/h 0.8 mm Low 6
17 Aug 23.1 °C 43 % 38 km/h 0.2 mm Low 8
18 Aug 14.8 °C 54 % 28 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 4
19 Aug 22.4 °C 39 % 34 km/h 0.6 mm Low 8
20 Aug 24.4 °C 38 % 14 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
21 Aug 26.6 °C 30 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 13
22 Aug 25.5 °C 32 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
23 Aug 21.5 °C 57 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
24 Aug 22.3 °C 36 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 13
25 Aug 26.5 °C 36 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
26 Aug 25.8 °C 45 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
27 Aug 26.9 °C 43 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
28 Aug 29.0 °C 45 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
29 Aug 29.6 °C 40 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
30 Aug 26.7 °C 53 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
31 Aug 25.1 °C 51 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
1 Sept 26.6 °C 28 % 54 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
2 Sept 21.5 °C 37 % 54 km/h 0.3 mm High 26
3 Sept 17.3 °C 41 % 47 km/h 0.2 mm High 22
4 Sept 15.2 °C 40 % 36 km/h 2.6 mm Very low 4
5 Sept 18.1 °C 35 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
6 Sept 12.7 °C 69 % 20 km/h 3.9 mm Very low 0
7 Sept 19.1 °C 48 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
8 Sept 21.5 °C 37 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
9 Sept 23.5 °C 29 % 15 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
10 Sept 26.1 °C 30 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
11 Sept 27.9 °C 29 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 22
12 Sept 21.0 °C 43 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
13 Sept 20.4 °C 44 % 43 km/h 2.0 mm Low 7
14 Sept 19.1 °C 40 % 38 km/h 1.5 mm Low 7
15 Sept 26.7 °C 24 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
16 Sept 21.0 °C 34 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
17 Sept 21.4 °C 40 % 25 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 20
18 Sept 17.2 °C 39 % 41 km/h 0.6 mm Moderate 18
19 Sept 19.2 °C 36 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
20 Sept 18.4 °C 44 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
21 Sept 21.9 °C 31 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
22 Sept 27.6 °C 24 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
23 Sept 23.8 °C 43 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
24 Sept 18.9 °C 48 % 30 km/h 1.7 mm Low 8
25 Sept 15.4 °C 55 % 36 km/h 0.3 mm Low 11
26 Sept 20.1 °C 47 % 31 km/h 0.5 mm Moderate 15
27 Sept 17.8 °C 49 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 13
28 Sept 10.2 °C 65 % 25 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 11
29 Sept 9.8 °C 65 % 16 km/h 0.1 mm Low 10
30 Sept 12.2 °C 55 % 18 km/h 0.1 mm Low 11
1 Oct 15.2 °C 42 % 37 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 16
2 Oct 13.9 °C 57 % 24 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 13
3 Oct 15.4 °C 47 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
4 Oct 8.9 °C 68 % 49 km/h 6.1 mm Very low 0
5 Oct 6.0 °C 46 % 47 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
6 Oct 9.9 °C 50 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
7 Oct 15.3 °C 52 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
8 Oct 24.0 °C 31 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
9 Oct 23.0 °C 31 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
10 Oct 19.1 °C 47 % 26 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 17
11 Oct 19.0 °C 45 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
12 Oct 17.2 °C 55 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
13 Oct 15.7 °C 45 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
14 Oct 15.0 °C 44 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
15 Oct 14.8 °C 51 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
16 Oct 16.0 °C 48 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
17 Oct after 7.5 °C 74 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
18 Oct after 14.7 °C 55 % 32 km/h 0.6 mm Low 10
19 Oct after 16.2 °C 45 % 30 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 13
20 Oct after 11.7 °C 42 % 39 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 16
21 Oct after -0.3 °C 72 % 32 km/h 3.2 mm Very low 1

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 23 Jun 2023
After · 23 Oct 2023

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 25 September 2023 the air beside the fire reached 1,088 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 608: 41 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak1,088 µg/m³
Days over the guideline67 days
PM101,553 µg/m³
Optical depth11.88
2829301234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303112345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930123456789101112
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 · 2,323Every 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 Canada ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Mackenzie County fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 30 June 2023 to 16 October 2023 (109 days). The perimeter dates it from 30 June 2023 to 9 October 2023.
How much area did it burn?
The official perimeter mapped by Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) is 11,184 hectares (111.8 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.
Which census subdivisions burned?
The fire only entered Mackenzie County (11,007 ha, 0.1 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 30.2 °C, humidity dropped to 24 % and gusts hit 54 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 29, class High.
Where does this data come from?
From the official burnt perimeter of Canada’s CWFIS (NBAC, Natural Resources Canada) or, for the current season and until NBAC publishes it, the one rebuilt by GWIS (Copernicus); from NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots; and from the administrative boundaries of Canada. 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 · 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: 9 October 2023 → 16 October 2023.

RSS Changes to this page

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 911.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: NBAC (Natural Resources Canada), official.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 30 June 2023 to 9 October 2023. 2,323 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 is official: it comes from the National Burned Area Composite (NBAC) of the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), Natural Resources Canada, which maps it on satellite imagery and publishes it under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Until NBAC publishes the current season, this year’s fires carry the perimeter rebuilt from heat detections by GWIS (Copernicus, CC BY 4.0), which is approximate. Heat detections come from the VIIRS sensors aboard Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20, distributed by NASA FIRMS at 375 m resolution. Census subdivision boundaries come from geoBoundaries ADM3 (Open Data Commons Open Database License 1.0). The area per census subdivision is computed by WorldFires by crossing the perimeter with those boundaries, so it may differ slightly from official figures.