How long did the Mackenzie County fire last?

According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 25 May 2024 to 13 August 2024 (81 days). The perimeter dates it from 1 June 2024 to 13 August 2024.

How much area did it burn?

The official perimeter mapped by Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) is 81,134 hectares (811.3 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.

Which census subdivisions burned?

The fire entered 2 census subdivisions: Mackenzie County (84,030 ha, 1.0 %); Region 4, Unorganized (2 ha, 0.0 %).

What was the weather like?

During the fire the temperature reached 30.1 °C, humidity dropped to 14 % and gusts hit 58 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 25, 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.

CA · Canada · 2024-05-25 → 2024-08-13

Mackenzie County fire, May 2024 Mackenzie County, Region 4, Unorganized

Out · last detection 13 Aug 2024, 08:53 UTC

The fire started on 25 May 2024 in Mackenzie County, Canada, and satellites saw it burning for 81 days. Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 81,134 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across 2 census subdivisions.

It is the 14th largest in Alberta since 2016 (of 243 with a page). Number 10 in Canada in 2024, of 291.

Compare with…

Suggestions: Mackenzie County · 2016 Mackenzie County · 2022 Region 4, Unorganized · 2019 Region 4, Unorganized · 2017

Burnt area: 81,134ha; official perimeter (CWFIS)
Duration: 81days; 25 May 2024 – 13 Aug 2024
Census subdivisions hit: 2; municipalities
Started on: 25 May; 2024
Heat detections: 10,663; in a single hotspot: 656 MW
Danger at start: 15; Moderate · FWI index
Average daily power: 4.3GW; detected power per day, on average

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 25 May13 Aug

Play back 13 Aug 2024

How it evolved, day by day

25 May 22 Jun 29 Jun 6 Jul 7 Jul 19 Jul 1 Aug 9 Aug

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

58km/h · peak gust

14%lowest humidity

It had gone 5 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 2.0 mm on 14 Aug.

This area had burned before

0% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 5 ha in 2016, 4 ha in 2022.

How big is it?

It burned the equivalent of 51% of the area of London (811 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

Mackenzie County where it started

84,030 ha reached on 25 May

1.0 %
Region 4, Unorganized

2 ha

0.0 %

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.

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)
25 May	17.7 °C	25 %	33 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 15
26 May	14.3 °C	45 %	30 km/h	0.6 mm	Low 11
27 May	17.3 °C	44 %	38 km/h	3.8 mm	Very low 2
28 May	16.6 °C	25 %	30 km/h	0.7 mm	Very low 5
29 May	15.4 °C	27 %	30 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 10
30 May	13.7 °C	55 %	48 km/h	6.8 mm	Very low 1
31 May	13.4 °C	35 %	58 km/h	0.5 mm	Very low 3
1 Jun	15.0 °C	29 %	30 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 7
2 Jun	13.3 °C	37 %	40 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 10
3 Jun	14.2 °C	43 %	41 km/h	0.3 mm	Low 10
4 Jun	15.5 °C	38 %	40 km/h	1.6 mm	Very low 5
5 Jun	10.8 °C	68 %	20 km/h	4.8 mm	Very low 0
6 Jun	13.1 °C	52 %	32 km/h	7.4 mm	Very low 0
7 Jun	7.2 °C	82 %	39 km/h	5.2 mm	Very low 0
8 Jun	7.2 °C	84 %	31 km/h	1.7 mm	Very low 0
9 Jun	10.9 °C	68 %	20 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 0
10 Jun	14.7 °C	51 %	18 km/h	0.2 mm	Very low 0
11 Jun	13.3 °C	61 %	26 km/h	1.0 mm	Very low 1
12 Jun	16.6 °C	40 %	26 km/h	1.2 mm	Very low 1
13 Jun	19.1 °C	45 %	23 km/h	1.3 mm	Very low 1
14 Jun	14.3 °C	46 %	42 km/h	3.0 mm	Very low 1
15 Jun	15.1 °C	34 %	44 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 4
16 Jun	10.3 °C	33 %	51 km/h	0.4 mm	Low 8
17 Jun	12.2 °C	32 %	46 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 10
18 Jun	21.3 °C	14 %	24 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 13
19 Jun	20.7 °C	27 %	35 km/h	0.8 mm	Moderate 12
20 Jun	23.2 °C	32 %	28 km/h	0.3 mm	Moderate 13
21 Jun	25.0 °C	35 %	23 km/h	1.4 mm	Low 8
22 Jun	25.2 °C	28 %	34 km/h	0.1 mm	Moderate 16
23 Jun	18.7 °C	46 %	45 km/h	0.4 mm	Moderate 17
24 Jun	14.8 °C	38 %	45 km/h	0.9 mm	Low 11
25 Jun	20.5 °C	26 %	28 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 14
26 Jun	21.5 °C	27 %	26 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 17
27 Jun	19.1 °C	32 %	33 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 19
28 Jun	21.4 °C	32 %	26 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 20
29 Jun	25.0 °C	26 %	34 km/h	0.0 mm	High 22
30 Jun	25.4 °C	35 %	27 km/h	1.2 mm	Moderate 12
1 Jul	22.4 °C	47 %	24 km/h	2.5 mm	Very low 4
2 Jul	19.3 °C	59 %	37 km/h	4.9 mm	Very low 1
3 Jul	22.1 °C	34 %	28 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 6
4 Jul	23.6 °C	38 %	37 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 13
5 Jul	21.6 °C	37 %	45 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 17
6 Jul	22.2 °C	41 %	32 km/h	0.3 mm	Moderate 16
7 Jul	26.4 °C	30 %	39 km/h	0.0 mm	High 22
8 Jul	23.8 °C	46 %	22 km/h	0.1 mm	Moderate 18
9 Jul	28.1 °C	28 %	34 km/h	0.0 mm	High 22
10 Jul	24.4 °C	38 %	27 km/h	1.3 mm	Moderate 13
11 Jul	17.2 °C	67 %	42 km/h	6.7 mm	Very low 1
12 Jul	18.0 °C	38 %	37 km/h	2.0 mm	Very low 3
13 Jul	19.3 °C	45 %	28 km/h	0.6 mm	Low 6
14 Jul	23.9 °C	33 %	41 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 16
15 Jul	26.9 °C	38 %	27 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 15
16 Jul	28.1 °C	29 %	37 km/h	0.0 mm	High 22
17 Jul	30.1 °C	28 %	25 km/h	0.0 mm	High 22
18 Jul	28.8 °C	29 %	34 km/h	0.0 mm	High 25
19 Jul	24.4 °C	47 %	30 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 20
20 Jul	21.2 °C	53 %	30 km/h	12.2 mm	Very low 1
21 Jul	24.3 °C	51 %	19 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 4
22 Jul	24.1 °C	49 %	26 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 8
23 Jul	23.5 °C	54 %	53 km/h	14.6 mm	Very low 1
24 Jul	19.3 °C	46 %	28 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 2
25 Jul	18.0 °C	52 %	27 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 5
26 Jul	19.2 °C	46 %	50 km/h	0.6 mm	Low 9
27 Jul	23.3 °C	45 %	26 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 9
28 Jul	21.4 °C	39 %	45 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 13
29 Jul	19.2 °C	53 %	35 km/h	3.8 mm	Very low 1
30 Jul	22.0 °C	34 %	44 km/h	0.1 mm	Low 7
31 Jul	16.8 °C	61 %	40 km/h	1.9 mm	Very low 3
1 Aug	17.5 °C	54 %	34 km/h	4.0 mm	Very low 0
2 Aug	21.8 °C	29 %	26 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 4
3 Aug	22.5 °C	30 %	21 km/h	2.1 mm	Very low 3
4 Aug	15.2 °C	75 %	23 km/h	5.0 mm	Very low 0
5 Aug	21.2 °C	38 %	16 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 1
6 Aug	22.1 °C	41 %	20 km/h	0.0 mm	Very low 5
7 Aug	25.6 °C	33 %	26 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 11
8 Aug	25.8 °C	32 %	34 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 14
9 Aug	25.8 °C	33 %	42 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 17
10 Aug	28.1 °C	34 %	35 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 17
11 Aug	29.8 °C	29 %	29 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 19
12 Aug	28.3 °C	35 %	30 km/h	0.0 mm	High 23
13 Aug	18.3 °C	63 %	32 km/h	6.4 mm	Very low 1
14 Aug after	15.5 °C	68 %	19 km/h	2.0 mm	Very low 0

Before and after, from space

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

↔

Before · 18 May 2024

After · 20 Aug 2024

Before After

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 15 August 2024 the air beside the fire reached 639 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 346: 23 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak639 µg/m³

Days over the guideline44 days

PM10911 µg/m³

Optical depth7.94

WHO 15

30311234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829301234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303112345678910111213141516

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 · 10,663Every 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 time	Satellite	FRP (MW)	Lat	Lon

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 25 May 2024 to 13 August 2024 (81 days). The perimeter dates it from 1 June 2024 to 13 August 2024.
How much area did it burn?: The official perimeter mapped by Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) is 81,134 hectares (811.3 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.
Which census subdivisions burned?: The fire entered 2 census subdivisions: Mackenzie County (84,030 ha, 1.0 %); Region 4, Unorganized (2 ha, 0.0 %).
What was the weather like?: During the fire the temperature reached 30.1 °C, humidity dropped to 14 % and gusts hit 58 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 25, 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

NASA FIRMS ↗
CWFIS · Interactive map ↗

History of this page · 1 Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.

25 October 2026 Start date: 1 June 2024 → 25 May 2024.

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.

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What do you think is wrong?

Dates or duration Place or towns Burned area Name It was not a wildfire Same fire as another page Something else

What really happened?

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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.

How we know this

Perimeter: NBAC (Natural Resources Canada), official.
Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 1 June 2024 to 13 August 2024. 10,663 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.

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.

Where it burned