How long did the Platypus fire last?

It burned between 29 July 2018 and 29 July 2018: 1 day, according to the start date recorded by United States agencies (MTBS / NIFC) and the heat detections seen by satellite.

How much area did it burn?

The official perimeter published by United States agencies (MTBS / NIFC) is 2,244 hectares (22.4 km²). Other tallies, such as daily incident reports, may give slightly different figures.

Which counties burned?

The fire entered 2 counties: Yavapai (1,171 ha, 0.1 %); Coconino (1,069 ha, 0.0 %).

What was the weather like?

During the fire the temperature reached 34.2 °C, humidity dropped to 5 % and gusts hit 54 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 48, class Very high.

Where does this data come from?

From the official burnt perimeter of United States agencies (MTBS / NIFC, public domain), NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of United States. It is not an official report.

US · United States · 2018-07-29 → 2018-07-29

Platypus Fire, July 2018 Yavapai, Coconino

Out · last detection 29 Jul 2018, 20:00 UTC

The fire started on 29 July 2018 in Yavapai, United States, and satellites saw it burning for 1 day. United States agencies (MTBS / NIFC) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 2,244 hectares, spread across 2 counties.

It is the 121th largest in Arizona since 2016 (of 380 with a page). Number 178 in United States in 2018, of 511.

Burnt area: 2,244ha; official perimeter (MTBS / NIFC)
Duration: 1day; 29 Jul 2018 – 29 Jul 2018
Municipalities hit: 2; counties
Started on: 29 Jul; 2018
Heat detections: 603; in a single hotspot: 247 MW
Danger at start: 7; Low · FWI index
Energy released: 6MW; sum of detected power

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 29 Jul29 Jul

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

34°high

54km/h · peak gust

5%lowest humidity

It had gone 0 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 5.4 mm on 1 Oct.

This area had burned before

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

What happened to each town

Yavapai where it started

1,171 ha reached on 29 Jul

0.1 %
Coconino

1,069 ha reached on 8 Aug

0.0 %

Burnt area inside each county, from crossing the official 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)
29 Jul	31.0 °C	26 %	33 km/h	4.0 mm	Low 7
30 Jul after	33.0 °C	23 %	34 km/h	3.2 mm	Low 10
31 Jul after	32.5 °C	16 %	38 km/h	0.0 mm	High 24
1 Aug after	32.1 °C	21 %	39 km/h	0.7 mm	High 26
2 Aug after	30.5 °C	25 %	38 km/h	2.7 mm	Moderate 13
3 Aug after	29.0 °C	35 %	35 km/h	4.1 mm	Very low 4
4 Aug after	31.1 °C	26 %	33 km/h	0.3 mm	Moderate 17
5 Aug after	32.1 °C	19 %	40 km/h	0.0 mm	High 26
6 Aug after	33.9 °C	12 %	31 km/h	0.0 mm	High 32
7 Aug after	34.2 °C	12 %	33 km/h	0.0 mm	High 35
8 Aug after	33.6 °C	20 %	34 km/h	2.1 mm	Moderate 19
9 Aug after	28.7 °C	29 %	32 km/h	8.8 mm	Very low 4
10 Aug after	28.9 °C	36 %	37 km/h	17.8 mm	Very low 1
11 Aug after	25.4 °C	54 %	30 km/h	25.0 mm	Very low 0
12 Aug after	27.9 °C	37 %	34 km/h	1.5 mm	Very low 2
13 Aug after	27.5 °C	35 %	38 km/h	0.9 mm	Low 8
14 Aug after	28.5 °C	30 %	31 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 11
15 Aug after	26.1 °C	40 %	27 km/h	3.7 mm	Very low 1
16 Aug after	27.7 °C	40 %	30 km/h	0.0 mm	Low 6
17 Aug after	26.9 °C	37 %	27 km/h	0.2 mm	Low 10
18 Aug after	29.2 °C	38 %	33 km/h	3.7 mm	Very low 3
19 Aug after	31.3 °C	22 %	31 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 14
20 Aug after	29.8 °C	28 %	44 km/h	0.2 mm	Moderate 18
21 Aug after	26.0 °C	37 %	35 km/h	0.4 mm	Moderate 16
22 Aug after	26.1 °C	39 %	30 km/h	0.9 mm	Moderate 11
23 Aug after	27.4 °C	44 %	35 km/h	2.4 mm	Very low 4
24 Aug after	27.0 °C	38 %	35 km/h	0.1 mm	Low 10
25 Aug after	27.1 °C	29 %	33 km/h	0.5 mm	Moderate 16
26 Aug after	25.9 °C	44 %	36 km/h	4.1 mm	Very low 3
27 Aug after	27.0 °C	21 %	53 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 18
28 Aug after	27.5 °C	18 %	43 km/h	0.0 mm	High 23
29 Aug after	28.0 °C	23 %	35 km/h	0.0 mm	High 23
30 Aug after	29.0 °C	21 %	37 km/h	0.0 mm	High 23
31 Aug after	28.8 °C	22 %	44 km/h	0.0 mm	High 27
1 Sept after	26.5 °C	25 %	38 km/h	0.0 mm	High 25
2 Sept after	25.7 °C	32 %	41 km/h	1.9 mm	Low 10
3 Sept after	24.5 °C	29 %	27 km/h	0.4 mm	Moderate 16
4 Sept after	25.8 °C	25 %	28 km/h	3.6 mm	Very low 4
5 Sept after	26.7 °C	25 %	28 km/h	0.0 mm	Moderate 15
6 Sept after	28.1 °C	20 %	27 km/h	0.0 mm	High 21
7 Sept after	29.8 °C	18 %	21 km/h	0.0 mm	High 25
8 Sept after	31.2 °C	15 %	31 km/h	0.0 mm	High 28
9 Sept after	31.1 °C	16 %	46 km/h	0.0 mm	High 35
10 Sept after	30.2 °C	16 %	36 km/h	0.0 mm	High 33
11 Sept after	29.5 °C	16 %	46 km/h	0.0 mm	High 37
12 Sept after	29.1 °C	10 %	54 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 44
13 Sept after	28.6 °C	10 %	45 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 41
14 Sept after	30.0 °C	14 %	37 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 38
15 Sept after	30.5 °C	16 %	39 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 40
16 Sept after	29.5 °C	19 %	36 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 39
17 Sept after	29.9 °C	22 %	37 km/h	0.0 mm	High 37
18 Sept after	30.2 °C	19 %	38 km/h	0.0 mm	High 38
19 Sept after	24.2 °C	31 %	41 km/h	1.1 mm	High 22
20 Sept after	28.8 °C	8 %	32 km/h	0.0 mm	High 36
21 Sept after	29.4 °C	6 %	32 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 43
22 Sept after	28.5 °C	13 %	30 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 42
23 Sept after	27.8 °C	16 %	36 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 42
24 Sept after	26.2 °C	23 %	38 km/h	0.5 mm	Very high 41
25 Sept after	26.9 °C	24 %	33 km/h	0.3 mm	High 35
26 Sept after	29.2 °C	8 %	32 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 45
27 Sept after	30.1 °C	5 %	35 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 47
28 Sept after	29.1 °C	9 %	34 km/h	0.0 mm	Very high 48
29 Sept after	27.5 °C	16 %	56 km/h	0.0 mm	Extreme 54
30 Sept after	25.6 °C	25 %	46 km/h	0.1 mm	Very high 40
1 Oct after	19.1 °C	53 %	25 km/h	5.4 mm	Very low 3

Before and after, from space

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

↔

Before · 22 Jul 2018

After · 5 Aug 2018

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.

Detections table · 603Every 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 United States ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Platypus fire last?: It burned between 29 July 2018 and 29 July 2018: 1 day, according to the start date recorded by United States agencies (MTBS / NIFC) and the heat detections seen by satellite.
How much area did it burn?: The official perimeter published by United States agencies (MTBS / NIFC) is 2,244 hectares (22.4 km²). Other tallies, such as daily incident reports, may give slightly different figures.
Which counties burned?: The fire entered 2 counties: Yavapai (1,171 ha, 0.1 %); Coconino (1,069 ha, 0.0 %).
What was the weather like?: During the fire the temperature reached 34.2 °C, humidity dropped to 5 % and gusts hit 54 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 48, class Very high.
Where does this data come from?: From the official burnt perimeter of United States agencies (MTBS / NIFC, public domain), NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of United States. 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

Satellite cross-check

NASA FIRMS ↗
NIFC · Fire maps ↗

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Where this data comes from

The perimeter is official and in the public domain. For past years it comes from MTBS (Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity), run by the U.S. Geological Survey and the USDA Forest Service, which map it on Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery. For the current and last year it comes from WFIGS at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC): incident perimeters mapped by fire crews, aircraft and imagery. Heat detections come from the VIIRS sensors aboard Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20, distributed by NASA FIRMS at 375 m resolution. County boundaries come from geoBoundaries ADM2 (Public Domain). The area per county is computed by WorldFires by crossing the perimeter with those boundaries, so it may differ slightly from official figures.

Where it burned