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Sambour fire, 22 January 2016 Sambour, Kaoh Nheaek, Sesan

Out · last detection 19 Apr 2016, 18:37 UTC

The fire started on 22 January 2016 in Sambour, Cambodia, and satellites saw it burning for 88 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 18,577 hectares from heat detections, spread across 3 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 5th largest in Kratie since 2016 (of 80 with a page). Number 6 in Cambodia in 2016, of 118.

Burnt area
18,577ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
88days
22 Jan 2016 – 18 Apr 2016
Municipalities hit
3
districts
Started on
22 Jan
2016
Heat detections
3,140
in a single hotspot: 327 MW
Danger at start
18
Moderate · FWI index
Average daily power
307MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

19 Apr 2016
HOTSPOTS BY DAY 22 Jan18 Apr

How it evolved, day by day

22 Jan 2016 · 18 MW · 5 23 Jan 2016 · 196 MW · 9 24 Jan 2016 · 751 MW · 48 25 Jan 2016 · 643 MW · 46 26 Jan 2016 · 55 MW · 7 27 Jan 2016 · 7 MW · 6 28 Jan 2016 · 67 MW · 7 29 Jan 2016 · 31 MW · 2 30 Jan 2016 · 59 MW · 12 31 Jan 2016 · 214 MW · 26 1 Feb 2016 · 153 MW · 29 2 Feb 2016 · 256 MW · 25 3 Feb 2016 · 535 MW · 48 4 Feb 2016 · 294 MW · 36 5 Feb 2016 · 314 MW · 27 6 Feb 2016 · 425 MW · 35 7 Feb 2016 · 112 MW · 23 8 Feb 2016 · 66 MW · 21 9 Feb 2016 · 231 MW · 30 10 Feb 2016 · 23 MW · 6 11 Feb 2016 · 155 MW · 16 13 Feb 2016 · 140 MW · 16 14 Feb 2016 · 197 MW · 24 15 Feb 2016 · 74 MW · 26 16 Feb 2016 · 336 MW · 27 17 Feb 2016 · 976 MW · 102 18 Feb 2016 · 1,539 MW · 131 19 Feb 2016 · 291 MW · 49 20 Feb 2016 · 1,962 MW · 86 21 Feb 2016 · 322 MW · 45 22 Feb 2016 · 95 MW · 21 23 Feb 2016 · 200 MW · 35 24 Feb 2016 · 844 MW · 59 25 Feb 2016 · 5 MW · 6 26 Feb 2016 · 1,462 MW · 99 27 Feb 2016 · 915 MW · 69 28 Feb 2016 · 151 MW · 37 29 Feb 2016 · 155 MW · 17 1 Mar 2016 · 615 MW · 73 2 Mar 2016 · 790 MW · 88 3 Mar 2016 · 975 MW · 53 4 Mar 2016 · 44 MW · 12 5 Mar 2016 · 254 MW · 63 6 Mar 2016 · 223 MW · 31 7 Mar 2016 · 208 MW · 40 8 Mar 2016 · 150 MW · 31 9 Mar 2016 · 168 MW · 31 10 Mar 2016 · 82 MW · 20 11 Mar 2016 · 108 MW · 10 12 Mar 2016 · 164 MW · 35 13 Mar 2016 · 53 MW · 17 14 Mar 2016 · 46 MW · 8 15 Mar 2016 · 69 MW · 21 16 Mar 2016 · 219 MW · 41 17 Mar 2016 · 591 MW · 32 18 Mar 2016 · 127 MW · 25 19 Mar 2016 · 291 MW · 59 20 Mar 2016 · 445 MW · 48 21 Mar 2016 · 210 MW · 22 22 Mar 2016 · 145 MW · 22 23 Mar 2016 · 222 MW · 26 24 Mar 2016 · 193 MW · 29 25 Mar 2016 · 57 MW · 25 26 Mar 2016 · 630 MW · 68 27 Mar 2016 · 679 MW · 65 28 Mar 2016 · 462 MW · 74 29 Mar 2016 · 343 MW · 61 30 Mar 2016 · 153 MW · 50 31 Mar 2016 · 117 MW · 15 1 Apr 2016 · 268 MW · 26 2 Apr 2016 · 42 MW · 13 3 Apr 2016 · 90 MW · 19 4 Apr 2016 · 19 MW · 6 5 Apr 2016 · 17 MW · 4 6 Apr 2016 · 346 MW · 53 7 Apr 2016 · 238 MW · 22 8 Apr 2016 · 160 MW · 11 9 Apr 2016 · 11 MW · 12 10 Apr 2016 · 34 MW · 12 11 Apr 2016 · 162 MW · 33 12 Apr 2016 · 731 MW · 54 13 Apr 2016 · 176 MW · 39 14 Apr 2016 · 464 MW · 100 15 Apr 2016 · 191 MW · 26 16 Apr 2016 · 102 MW · 16 18 Apr 2016 · 151 MW · 18 19 Apr 2016 · 389 MW · 14
22 Jan 4 Feb 18 Feb 20 Feb 2 Mar 15 Mar 28 Mar 10 Apr

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

The weather it burned in

40°high
57km/h · peak gust
28%lowest humidity

It had gone 2 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 3.3 mm on 27 Apr.

This area had burned before

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

What happened to each town

  1. Sambour where it started
    15,500 ha
    2.9 %
  2. Kaoh Nheaek
    2,091 ha
    0.4 %
  3. Sesan
    1,120 ha
    0.4 %

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)
22 Jan 35.0 °C 45 % 20 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 18
23 Jan 37.8 °C 32 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
24 Jan 33.9 °C 34 % 51 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
25 Jan 30.3 °C 33 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
26 Jan 33.1 °C 33 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
27 Jan 33.8 °C 38 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
28 Jan 35.9 °C 40 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
29 Jan 35.9 °C 42 % 22 km/h 0.2 mm High 22
30 Jan 36.8 °C 33 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
31 Jan 36.6 °C 33 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
1 Feb 36.9 °C 32 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
2 Feb 35.8 °C 32 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
3 Feb 34.6 °C 34 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
4 Feb 34.6 °C 35 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
5 Feb 35.2 °C 34 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
6 Feb 32.5 °C 31 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
7 Feb 28.8 °C 31 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
8 Feb 30.3 °C 34 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
9 Feb 33.1 °C 31 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
10 Feb 34.8 °C 29 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
11 Feb 35.5 °C 28 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
12 Feb 35.4 °C 31 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
13 Feb 34.8 °C 38 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
14 Feb 36.0 °C 35 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
15 Feb 37.0 °C 32 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
16 Feb 34.9 °C 34 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
17 Feb 34.7 °C 32 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
18 Feb 34.6 °C 29 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 38
19 Feb 35.5 °C 28 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
20 Feb 34.3 °C 34 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
21 Feb 34.9 °C 32 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
22 Feb 36.3 °C 34 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
23 Feb 36.9 °C 31 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
24 Feb 36.1 °C 28 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
25 Feb 33.7 °C 33 % 57 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 46
26 Feb 34.1 °C 35 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
27 Feb 34.9 °C 33 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
28 Feb 35.2 °C 33 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 38
29 Feb 33.9 °C 32 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
1 Mar 34.5 °C 32 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
2 Mar 35.2 °C 33 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 40
3 Mar 35.9 °C 34 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 39
4 Mar 36.5 °C 32 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
5 Mar 36.9 °C 36 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
6 Mar 36.8 °C 38 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
7 Mar 36.1 °C 41 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
8 Mar 37.4 °C 38 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
9 Mar 37.0 °C 41 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
10 Mar 37.1 °C 41 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
11 Mar 36.8 °C 40 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
12 Mar 37.2 °C 36 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
13 Mar 35.4 °C 43 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
14 Mar 38.0 °C 37 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
15 Mar 35.5 °C 46 % 24 km/h 0.2 mm High 29
16 Mar 37.6 °C 35 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
17 Mar 37.6 °C 39 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
18 Mar 36.8 °C 40 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
19 Mar 37.3 °C 36 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
20 Mar 37.7 °C 38 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
21 Mar 37.5 °C 40 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
22 Mar 37.6 °C 37 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
23 Mar 36.9 °C 41 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
24 Mar 37.5 °C 41 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
25 Mar 34.9 °C 39 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 38
26 Mar 36.0 °C 33 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 38
27 Mar 34.6 °C 35 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
28 Mar 35.0 °C 34 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 41
29 Mar 36.0 °C 31 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 39
30 Mar 36.9 °C 29 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
31 Mar 36.8 °C 34 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
1 Apr 36.7 °C 34 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
2 Apr 37.1 °C 36 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
3 Apr 36.1 °C 38 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
4 Apr 36.5 °C 42 % 30 km/h 0.1 mm High 34
5 Apr 35.5 °C 43 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
6 Apr 38.0 °C 39 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
7 Apr 37.7 °C 39 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
8 Apr 37.5 °C 42 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
9 Apr 37.2 °C 44 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
10 Apr 37.7 °C 42 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
11 Apr 38.2 °C 41 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
12 Apr 37.9 °C 38 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
13 Apr 37.5 °C 36 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
14 Apr 38.2 °C 32 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
15 Apr 38.4 °C 37 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
16 Apr 38.2 °C 44 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
17 Apr 37.8 °C 46 % 28 km/h 0.4 mm High 33
18 Apr 40.4 °C 33 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
19 Apr after 37.9 °C 40 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
20 Apr after 38.7 °C 32 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
21 Apr after 37.4 °C 37 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
22 Apr after 37.2 °C 37 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
23 Apr after 37.2 °C 39 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
24 Apr after 37.5 °C 37 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
25 Apr after 38.2 °C 42 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 37
26 Apr after 39.4 °C 41 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 36
27 Apr after 37.5 °C 46 % 31 km/h 3.3 mm Moderate 14

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 15 Jan 2016
After · 25 Apr 2016

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 · 3,140Every 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 Cambodia ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Sambour fire last?
GWIS (Copernicus) dates it between 22 January 2016 and 18 April 2016: 88 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 18,577 hectares (185.8 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 3 municipalities: Sambour (15,500 ha, 2.9 %); Kaoh Nheaek (2,091 ha, 0.4 %); Sesan (1,120 ha, 0.4 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 40.4 °C, humidity dropped to 28 % and gusts hit 57 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 46, class Very high.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Cambodia (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.

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.

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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 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)). 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.