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Poconé fire, 3 August 2020 Poconé, Barão de Melgaço

Out · last detection 27 Sept 2020, 17:32 UTC

The fire started on 3 August 2020 in Poconé, Brazil, and satellites saw it burning for 55 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 63,740 hectares from heat detections, spread across 2 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 35th largest in Mato Grosso since 2016 (of 1996 with a page). Number 16 in Brazil in 2020, of 957.

Burnt area
63,740ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
55days
3 Aug 2020 – 26 Sept 2020
Municipalities hit
2
municipalities
Started on
3 Aug
2020
Heat detections
4,536
in a single hotspot: 401 MW
Danger at start
37
High · FWI index
Energy released
81.5GW
sum of detected power

Where it burned

27 Sept 2020
HOTSPOTS BY DAY 3 Aug26 Sept

How it evolved, day by day

3456789101112131415161718192022232425262728293031123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627

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

The weather it burned in

41°high
47km/h · peak gust
11%lowest humidity

It had gone more than two months without rain (1 mm or more) when it started.

This area had burned before

12% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 1,435 ha in 2017, 6,858 ha in 2019. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 7,866 ha that had burned before.

What happened to each town

  1. Poconé 31,217 inhabitants where it started
    43,965 ha reached on 1 Aug
    2.6 %
  2. Barão de Melgaço 15,246 inhabitants
    20,054 ha reached on 5 Aug
    1.7 %

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)
27 Jul 33.1 °C 27 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
28 Jul 33.5 °C 25 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
29 Jul 28.8 °C 42 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
30 Jul 29.9 °C 40 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
31 Jul 33.9 °C 28 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
1 Aug 34.0 °C 23 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
2 Aug 33.4 °C 20 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
3 Aug 33.2 °C 23 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
4 Aug 33.2 °C 22 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
5 Aug 33.1 °C 19 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
6 Aug 33.2 °C 22 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
7 Aug 32.8 °C 23 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
8 Aug 33.6 °C 20 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
9 Aug 34.1 °C 21 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
10 Aug 34.8 °C 20 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 46
11 Aug 35.4 °C 23 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
12 Aug 36.3 °C 24 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
13 Aug 36.4 °C 26 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 42
14 Aug 37.8 °C 20 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 50
15 Aug 37.5 °C 20 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
16 Aug 36.9 °C 25 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
17 Aug 36.2 °C 30 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
18 Aug 38.2 °C 20 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
19 Aug 39.2 °C 18 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
20 Aug 26.7 °C 50 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
21 Aug 19.1 °C 49 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
22 Aug 22.7 °C 45 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
23 Aug 29.2 °C 38 % 14 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
24 Aug 36.2 °C 26 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
25 Aug 37.4 °C 24 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
26 Aug 38.0 °C 26 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 38
27 Aug 37.5 °C 29 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
28 Aug 38.9 °C 14 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
29 Aug 39.1 °C 12 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
30 Aug 38.8 °C 16 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 50
31 Aug 38.1 °C 21 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
1 Sept 35.3 °C 31 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 42
2 Sept 35.1 °C 28 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
3 Sept 34.7 °C 28 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 39
4 Sept 38.0 °C 18 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
5 Sept 39.1 °C 15 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
6 Sept 38.9 °C 15 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
7 Sept 39.0 °C 15 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
8 Sept 35.1 °C 32 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
9 Sept 39.2 °C 17 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
10 Sept 39.5 °C 17 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
11 Sept 40.3 °C 13 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
12 Sept 40.0 °C 13 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
13 Sept 40.3 °C 11 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
14 Sept 39.4 °C 15 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
15 Sept 36.1 °C 30 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 46
16 Sept 38.3 °C 19 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
17 Sept 39.1 °C 17 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
18 Sept 38.4 °C 20 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
19 Sept 39.6 °C 19 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
20 Sept 35.5 °C 31 % 31 km/h 0.1 mm Very high 42
21 Sept 35.1 °C 31 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
22 Sept 33.6 °C 37 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
23 Sept 36.5 °C 31 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
24 Sept 37.6 °C 28 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
25 Sept 40.3 °C 19 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
26 Sept 38.1 °C 28 % 47 km/h 0.5 mm Extreme 56
27 Sept after 37.4 °C 27 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
28 Sept after 36.7 °C 30 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 45
29 Sept after 39.8 °C 21 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
30 Sept after 41.4 °C 15 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
1 Oct after 40.6 °C 17 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
2 Oct after 39.7 °C 23 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
3 Oct after 41.0 °C 20 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 46
4 Oct after 41.6 °C 17 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
5 Oct after 41.7 °C 20 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 50
6 Oct after 41.3 °C 19 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
7 Oct after 40.0 °C 23 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
8 Oct after 41.2 °C 18 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 50
9 Oct after 41.7 °C 19 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 50
10 Oct after 39.6 °C 25 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
11 Oct after 39.3 °C 29 % 34 km/h 0.4 mm Very high 49
12 Oct after 37.6 °C 34 % 29 km/h 0.2 mm Very high 39
13 Oct after 38.9 °C 27 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 38

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 27 Jul 2020
After · 3 Oct 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 · 4,536Every 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 Poconé fire last?
GWIS (Copernicus) dates it between 3 August 2020 and 26 September 2020: 55 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 63,740 hectares (637.4 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 2 municipalities: Poconé (43,965 ha, 2.6 %); Barão de Melgaço (20,054 ha, 1.7 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 41.4 °C, humidity dropped to 11 % and gusts hit 47 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 58, class 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.

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

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.

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.

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.