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BR · Brazil · –

Marcelândia fire, 4 August 2024 Marcelândia

Out · last detection 28 Sept 2024, 17:21 UTC

The fire started on 4 August 2024 in Marcelândia, Brazil, and satellites saw it burning for 56 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 27,646 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.

Other fire pages in the same area and on the same dates:

It is the 112th largest in Mato Grosso since 2016 (of 1872 with a page). Number 101 in Brazil in 2024, of 1301.

Burnt area
27,646ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
56days
4 Aug 2024 – 28 Sept 2024
Municipalities hit
1
municipalities
Started on
4 Aug
2024
Heat detections
2,271
in a single hotspot: 285 MW
Danger at start
55
Extreme · FWI index
Average daily power
516MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 4 Aug28 Sept
28 Sept 2024

How it evolved, day by day

4 Aug 2024 · 6 MW · 4 5 Aug 2024 · 261 MW · 13 6 Aug 2024 · 82 MW · 14 7 Aug 2024 · 16 MW · 4 8 Aug 2024 · 24 MW · 2 9 Aug 2024 · 20 MW · 3 10 Aug 2024 · 119 MW · 26 11 Aug 2024 · 42 MW · 11 12 Aug 2024 · 3 MW · 1 13 Aug 2024 · 4 MW · 1 14 Aug 2024 · 760 MW · 18 15 Aug 2024 · 233 MW · 27 16 Aug 2024 · 29 MW · 14 17 Aug 2024 · 677 MW · 21 18 Aug 2024 · 135 MW · 9 19 Aug 2024 · 4 MW · 1 20 Aug 2024 · 3 MW · 2 21 Aug 2024 · 117 MW · 17 22 Aug 2024 · 68 MW · 15 23 Aug 2024 · 135 MW · 19 24 Aug 2024 · 955 MW · 19 25 Aug 2024 · 224 MW · 30 26 Aug 2024 · 390 MW · 55 27 Aug 2024 · 234 MW · 28 28 Aug 2024 · 2,559 MW · 92 29 Aug 2024 · 3,311 MW · 108 30 Aug 2024 · 768 MW · 98 31 Aug 2024 · 808 MW · 80 1 Sept 2024 · 1,033 MW · 139 2 Sept 2024 · 2,521 MW · 149 3 Sept 2024 · 1,511 MW · 108 4 Sept 2024 · 782 MW · 76 5 Sept 2024 · 3,822 MW · 170 6 Sept 2024 · 484 MW · 136 7 Sept 2024 · 1,685 MW · 104 8 Sept 2024 · 679 MW · 74 9 Sept 2024 · 467 MW · 48 10 Sept 2024 · 92 MW · 24 11 Sept 2024 · 71 MW · 40 12 Sept 2024 · 90 MW · 24 13 Sept 2024 · 707 MW · 43 14 Sept 2024 · 943 MW · 65 15 Sept 2024 · 396 MW · 58 16 Sept 2024 · 182 MW · 55 17 Sept 2024 · 196 MW · 57 18 Sept 2024 · 181 MW · 28 19 Sept 2024 · 60 MW · 7 20 Sept 2024 · 203 MW · 19 21 Sept 2024 · 107 MW · 22 22 Sept 2024 · 91 MW · 33 23 Sept 2024 · 165 MW · 26 24 Sept 2024 · 7 MW · 5 25 Sept 2024 · 3 MW · 1 26 Sept 2024 · 105 MW · 14 27 Sept 2024 · 299 MW · 13 28 Sept 2024 · 6 MW · 1
4 Aug 16 Aug 5 Sept 21 Sept

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

The weather it burned in

39°high
45km/h · peak gust
9%lowest humidity

It had gone more than two months without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 1.9 mm on 30 Sept.

This area had burned before

54% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 5,052 ha in 2016, 3,349 ha in 2020, 3,416 ha in 2021, 11,391 ha in 2022, 498 ha in 2023. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 15,030 ha that had burned before.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 17% of the area of London (276 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 town

  1. Marcelândia 11,396 inhabitants where it started
    28,752 ha reached on 4 Aug
    2.3 %

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 2025
Built-up area0.11 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there were about 0.11 hectares of 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)

Started with 60 days without rain: 55 % of the area in Brazil

Day High Min. humidity Peak gust Rain Danger (FWI)
4 Aug 34.1 °C 22 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
5 Aug 33.7 °C 19 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
6 Aug 34.1 °C 23 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
7 Aug 35.0 °C 20 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
8 Aug 35.2 °C 21 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
9 Aug 35.6 °C 20 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
10 Aug 31.3 °C 31 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
11 Aug 34.5 °C 27 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
12 Aug 35.0 °C 21 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
13 Aug 35.3 °C 18 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
14 Aug 36.4 °C 18 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
15 Aug 35.6 °C 28 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
16 Aug 35.6 °C 29 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
17 Aug 36.3 °C 20 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 60
18 Aug 36.7 °C 18 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
19 Aug 36.2 °C 20 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
20 Aug 35.9 °C 20 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
21 Aug 36.4 °C 18 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
22 Aug 36.8 °C 20 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
23 Aug 37.2 °C 20 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
24 Aug 36.9 °C 19 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
25 Aug 35.2 °C 22 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
26 Aug 32.5 °C 30 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 46
27 Aug 35.5 °C 23 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
28 Aug 37.0 °C 19 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 66
29 Aug 35.8 °C 21 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 66
30 Aug 35.4 °C 23 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
31 Aug 36.3 °C 19 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
1 Sept 37.3 °C 15 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
2 Sept 37.1 °C 17 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 60
3 Sept 35.8 °C 22 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
4 Sept 37.4 °C 13 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
5 Sept 38.7 °C 9 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 67
6 Sept 38.0 °C 12 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very extreme 71
7 Sept 37.0 °C 15 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 68
8 Sept 38.0 °C 15 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 66
9 Sept 37.5 °C 16 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 65
10 Sept 36.5 °C 21 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 60
11 Sept 35.1 °C 25 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
12 Sept 36.7 °C 21 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
13 Sept 37.3 °C 21 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
14 Sept 36.9 °C 20 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
15 Sept 37.8 °C 20 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
16 Sept 36.8 °C 25 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
17 Sept 38.0 °C 18 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 50
18 Sept 36.4 °C 29 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 46
19 Sept 35.9 °C 30 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
20 Sept 37.4 °C 21 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
21 Sept 36.7 °C 24 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
22 Sept 36.6 °C 27 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 42
23 Sept 36.5 °C 27 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
24 Sept 35.6 °C 34 % 25 km/h 2.2 mm Very high 43
25 Sept 36.5 °C 32 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm High 21
26 Sept 36.2 °C 31 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
27 Sept 35.5 °C 35 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
28 Sept 35.7 °C 35 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
29 Sept after 35.3 °C 37 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
30 Sept after 34.3 °C 37 % 26 km/h 1.9 mm High 33

Its twins: fires that started in the same weather

It started with an FWI of 55.1, a minimum humidity of 22% and more than two months without rain. Fires in the area that started in weather like this since 2016: 15.

FWI at the start 55.1
Minimum humidity 22 %
Days without rain 60+
this fire chosen twins rest of the area
Almost identicalSimilar

Outlines of the closest twins

Marcelândia fire, September 2017
26,014 ha 26 days FWI 53.9 Min. humidity 22 % 22 km away, in 2017

First rain (1 mm or more) after it ended: 2.2 mm on 28 Sept.

What happened to them

15 days
median duration
9,281 ha
median area
47 %
went past 10,000 ha
3.3 mm
rain at the end (median; 12 of 15 had it)

It was 3.0 times larger than the median of its twins and lasted 56 days, against 15 days.

None of its 15 twins burned more. The weather on the first day does not explain everything: the wind in the following days, the fuel and the firefighting also count. In 3 of 15, not even 1 mm fell in the ten days after the end: they went out without rain. In the rest, the first rainy day brought a median of 3.3 mm.

This is a bank of analogues: it shows what usually happens, not what will happen. With fewer than 15 twins we give no figures. How we calculate it

How it ended

1.9 mmfirst rain
30 Sept2 days after it ended
45km/h · max. gust

It was considered over on 28 Sept, and on 30 Sept 1.9 mm fell. We do not know whether the rain or the firefighters put it out. Twins with rain when they ended: 12 of 15, with a median of 3.3 mm.

Weather on this page: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Copernicus Climate Change Service (ERA5)

How a twin is chosen

  • Same area: fires that have already ended, less than 250 km from this one, since 2016.
  • Same start: we compare the FWI on the first day, the minimum humidity that day and the run of days without rain before it. The slider sets how much they may differ.
  • Only pages with final weather data (ERA5 reanalysis) calculated in the same way as this fire’s; agricultural and grass burns and pages with data under review are left out.
  • Fires burning at the same time as this one (a week before or after) are left out: they share the same spell of weather and do not count as a precedent.
  • They are sorted by similarity, and the outlines of the first five are drawn.

How we calculate it

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 28 Jul 2024
After · 5 Oct 2024

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 16 September 2024 the air beside the fire reached 481 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 319: 21 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak481 µg/m³
Days over the guideline38 days
PM10687 µg/m³
Optical depth3.32
7 Aug18 Aug29 Aug9 Sept20 Sept
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 · 2,271Every 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 Brazil

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Marcelândia fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 4 August 2024 to 28 September 2024 (56 days). The perimeter dates it from 9 August 2024 to 23 September 2024.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 27,646 hectares (276.5 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire only entered Marcelândia (28,752 ha, 2.3 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 38.7 °C, humidity dropped to 9 % and gusts hit 45 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 71, class Very extreme.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Brazil (geoBoundaries). It is not an official report.
How did the fires that started in similar weather in this area end?
Fires less than 250 km away that started since 2016 with a similar FWI, humidity and dry spell: 15. Their median duration was 15 days and their median area 9,281 ha; 47 % went past 10,000 ha. None of its 15 twins burned more. The weather on the first day does not explain everything: the wind in the following days, the fuel and the firefighting also count. In 3 of 15, not even 1 mm fell in the ten days after the end: they went out without rain. In the rest, the first rainy day brought a median of 3.3 mm.

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: 193 · Emergency number and official warnings

Satellite cross-check

History of this page · 3 Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.
  1. Area: 28,599 → 27,646 ha.
  2. Last day with fire: 23 September 2024 → 28 September 2024.
  3. Start date: 9 August 2024 → 4 August 2024.

RSS Changes to this page With cross-checks and a citable version

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 193.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: GWIS (Copernicus), rebuilt from heat detections rather than mapped on imagery; 3 polygons grouped in this page.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 9 August 2024 to 23 September 2024. 2,271 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 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.