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San José fire, 17 July 2026 San José, San Matías

Out · last detection 18 Sept 2026, 04:59 UTC

The fire started on 17 July 2026 in San José, Bolivia, and satellites saw it burning for 64 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 7,064 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.

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

We are reviewing this page: some of its data look inconsistent (the place, the dates or the area), so treat them with caution.

Compare with…

Suggestions: San José · 2024San José · 2026San José · 2024San José · 2024

Burnt area
7,064ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
64days
17 Jul 2026 – 18 Sept 2026
Municipalities hit
2
municipalities
Started on
17 Jul
2026
Heat detections
522
in a single hotspot: 166 MW
Danger at start
2
Very low · FWI index
Average daily power
118MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 17 Jul18 Sept
18 Sept 2026

How it evolved, day by day

17 Jul 2026 · 34 MW · 5 18 Jul 2026 · 72 MW · 12 19 Jul 2026 · 12 MW · 5 20 Jul 2026 · 47 MW · 10 21 Jul 2026 · 1,990 MW · 50 22 Jul 2026 · 597 MW · 38 23 Jul 2026 · 182 MW · 36 24 Jul 2026 · 12 MW · 7 25 Jul 2026 · 32 MW · 6 26 Jul 2026 · 28 MW · 10 27 Jul 2026 · 45 MW · 6 29 Jul 2026 · 3 MW · 1 31 Jul 2026 · 15 MW · 8 1 Aug 2026 · 23 MW · 2 2 Aug 2026 · 33 MW · 18 4 Aug 2026 · 22 MW · 2 5 Aug 2026 · 23 MW · 8 6 Aug 2026 · 33 MW · 4 7 Aug 2026 · 17 MW · 6 8 Aug 2026 · 111 MW · 8 9 Aug 2026 · 13 MW · 2 10 Aug 2026 · 2 MW · 2 11 Aug 2026 · 147 MW · 12 12 Aug 2026 · 45 MW · 6 13 Aug 2026 · 729 MW · 35 14 Aug 2026 · 122 MW · 16 15 Aug 2026 · 30 MW · 5 16 Aug 2026 · 355 MW · 24 17 Aug 2026 · 48 MW · 12 18 Aug 2026 · 9 MW · 1 19 Aug 2026 · 26 MW · 9 21 Aug 2026 · 138 MW · 5 22 Aug 2026 · 62 MW · 9 23 Aug 2026 · 50 MW · 9 24 Aug 2026 · 4 MW · 2 25 Aug 2026 · 18 MW · 2 26 Aug 2026 · 12 MW · 4 27 Aug 2026 · 375 MW · 9 28 Aug 2026 · 46 MW · 12 29 Aug 2026 · 2 MW · 1 1 Sept 2026 · 38 MW · 6 3 Sept 2026 · 6 MW · 4 8 Sept 2026 · 0 MW · 1 9 Sept 2026 · 9 MW · 2 10 Sept 2026 · 17 MW · 5 11 Sept 2026 · 148 MW · 20 12 Sept 2026 · 53 MW · 15 15 Sept 2026 · 14 MW · 2 16 Sept 2026 · 111 MW · 15 17 Sept 2026 · 52 MW · 15 18 Sept 2026 · 27 MW · 18
17 Jul 21 Jul 25 Jul 5 Aug 13 Aug 22 Aug 1 Sept 16 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

41°high
59km/h · peak gust
18%lowest humidity

It had gone 0 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started.

This area had burned before

46% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 4,999 ha in 2024. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 3,239 ha that had burned before.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 4.5% of the area of London (71 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. San José 60,359 inhabitants where it started
    4,810 ha reached on 17 Jul
    0.2 %
  2. San Matías 13,073 inhabitants
    2,290 ha reached on 20 Jul
    0.1 %

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 area< 0.1 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there was no noticeable 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)

Day High Min. humidity Peak gust Rain Danger (FWI)
8 Jul 22.9 °C 58 % 7 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
9 Jul 33.5 °C 28 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
10 Jul 34.2 °C 29 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 12
11 Jul 34.0 °C 32 % 14 km/h 2.9 mm Low 5
12 Jul 27.2 °C 57 % 13 km/h 2.4 mm Very low 1
13 Jul 29.2 °C 38 % 13 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
14 Jul 31.0 °C 32 % 12 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 11
15 Jul 34.3 °C 31 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
16 Jul 34.8 °C 34 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
17 Jul 35.0 °C 36 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
18 Jul 34.2 °C 38 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
19 Jul 36.0 °C 27 % 25 km/h 0.3 mm High 28
20 Jul 35.5 °C 27 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
21 Jul 36.0 °C 27 % 21 km/h 0.1 mm High 27
22 Jul 33.0 °C 32 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
23 Jul 30.6 °C 41 % 11 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
24 Jul 34.2 °C 30 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
25 Jul 35.0 °C 28 % 14 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
26 Jul 36.7 °C 23 % 14 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
27 Jul 35.3 °C 24 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
28 Jul 34.8 °C 36 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
29 Jul 33.8 °C 43 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
30 Jul 34.5 °C 37 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
31 Jul 34.7 °C 40 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
1 Aug 34.1 °C 37 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
2 Aug 27.5 °C 74 % 22 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 3
3 Aug 30.0 °C 59 % 37 km/h 2.6 mm Very low 4
4 Aug 33.0 °C 39 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
5 Aug 34.0 °C 35 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
6 Aug 34.2 °C 37 % 50 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
7 Aug 32.9 °C 48 % 45 km/h 0.2 mm High 22
8 Aug 35.1 °C 37 % 58 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
9 Aug 34.2 °C 43 % 39 km/h 0.3 mm High 25
10 Aug 30.2 °C 47 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
11 Aug 29.2 °C 40 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
12 Aug 32.2 °C 41 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
13 Aug 34.2 °C 35 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
14 Aug 34.5 °C 34 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
15 Aug 36.2 °C 28 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
16 Aug 37.3 °C 20 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
17 Aug 37.7 °C 19 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
18 Aug 36.3 °C 25 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 44
19 Aug 21.6 °C 59 % 29 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 21
20 Aug 23.8 °C 58 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
21 Aug 30.0 °C 29 % 14 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
22 Aug 32.2 °C 19 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
23 Aug 34.8 °C 18 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
24 Aug 32.0 °C 26 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
25 Aug 35.7 °C 30 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
26 Aug 35.8 °C 35 % 30 km/h 0.4 mm High 36
27 Aug 37.0 °C 33 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 47
28 Aug 37.2 °C 31 % 59 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
29 Aug 36.6 °C 35 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 43
30 Aug 37.7 °C 31 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 39
31 Aug 38.2 °C 30 % 53 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 46
1 Sept 27.9 °C 48 % 41 km/h 0.1 mm High 31
2 Sept 32.5 °C 35 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
3 Sept 37.5 °C 30 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 35
4 Sept 37.7 °C 31 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm High 38
5 Sept 35.3 °C 40 % 28 km/h 8.6 mm Low 7
6 Sept 21.8 °C 45 % 46 km/h 2.4 mm Low 8
7 Sept 25.9 °C 38 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 12
8 Sept 32.3 °C 39 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
9 Sept 36.0 °C 32 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
10 Sept 36.2 °C 37 % 47 km/h 0.5 mm High 30
11 Sept 37.6 °C 34 % 52 km/h 0.7 mm High 34
12 Sept 26.8 °C 64 % 42 km/h 21.6 mm Very low 1
13 Sept 20.4 °C 70 % 30 km/h 4.2 mm Very low 0
14 Sept 25.5 °C 54 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
15 Sept 28.7 °C 42 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
16 Sept 32.6 °C 37 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 13
17 Sept 35.9 °C 34 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
18 Sept 35.8 °C 35 % 42 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 20
19 Sept after 31.0 °C 56 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
20 Sept after 36.5 °C 34 % 50 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
21 Sept after 36.9 °C 33 % 58 km/h 0.0 mm High 31
22 Sept after 28.2 °C 57 % 51 km/h 6.5 mm Very low 3
23 Sept after 27.6 °C 43 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
24 Sept after 34.2 °C 37 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
25 Sept after 37.7 °C 30 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
26 Sept after 39.3 °C 28 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
27 Sept after 39.7 °C 28 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
28 Sept after 41.0 °C 22 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 38
29 Sept after 40.1 °C 27 % 46 km/h 0.1 mm Very high 40
30 Sept after 33.8 °C 48 % 35 km/h 12.4 mm Very low 2
1 Oct after 25.7 °C 79 % 20 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 3
2 Oct after 30.4 °C 54 % 22 km/h 0.9 mm Low 5

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 10 Jul 2026
After · 25 Sept 2026

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 23 July 2026 the air beside the fire reached 132 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 77: 5.1 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak132 µg/m³
Days over the guideline43 days
PM10136 µg/m³
Optical depth1.38
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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 · 522Every 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 Bolivia ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the San José fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 17 July 2026 to 18 September 2026 (64 days). The perimeter dates it from 18 July 2026 to 18 September 2026.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 7,064 hectares (70.6 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 2 municipalities: San José (4,810 ha, 0.2 %); San Matías (2,290 ha, 0.1 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 41.0 °C, humidity dropped to 18 % and gusts hit 59 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 50, class Extreme.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Bolivia (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: 119 · 110 · Emergency number and official warnings ›

Satellite cross-check

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

No changes since 24 October 2026.

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.

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 119 · 110.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: GWIS (Copernicus), rebuilt from heat detections rather than mapped on imagery.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 18 July 2026 to 18 September 2026. 522 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 ADM3 (Public Domain). 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.