Sene West fire, December 2025 Sekyere Afram Plains North, Sene West, Atebubu Amantin
The fire started on 28 December 2025 in Sene West, Ghana, and satellites saw it burning for 44 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 118,987 hectares from heat detections, spread across 4 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:
- 82,216 haSene East2 January 2026 · 38 days
- 21,485 haAtebubu Amantin4 January 2026 · 30 days
- 10,636 haSene West10 January 2026 · 27 days
- 9,935 haSekyere Central12 January 2026 · 19 days
- 8,603 haSekyere Afram Plains North17 January 2026 · 20 days
- 8,553 haSene West9 January 2026 · 26 days
- 7,988 haSene East3 January 2026 · 5 days
- 7,443 haSene East16 January 2026 · 21 days
It is the 2th largest in Bono East since 2016 (of 193 with a page). The largest in Ghana in 2025, of 144.
Compare with…
- Burnt area
- 118,987ha
- GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
- Duration
- 44days
- 28 Dec 2025 – 9 Feb 2026
- Municipalities hit
- 4
- districts
- Started on
- 28 Dec
- 2025
- Heat detections
- 3,474
- in a single hotspot: 165 MW
- Danger at start
- 28
- High · FWI index
- Average daily power
- 700MW
- detected power per day, on average
Where it burned
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
It had gone 15 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 1.2 mm on 14 Feb.
This area had burned before
89% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 26,276 ha in 2016, 40,492 ha in 2017, 29,918 ha in 2018, 38,937 ha in 2019, 62,431 ha in 2020, 4,605 ha in 2021, 91,934 ha in 2022, 59 ha in 2023, 62,804 ha in 2024, 17,893 ha in 2025. Part of it burned more than once, so the yearly figures add up to more than the 105,736 ha that had burned before.
- 31,444 ha Sekyere Afram Plains North fire, December 2022 118,389 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 27,270 ha Sekyere Afram Plains North fire, January 2022 113,353 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 22,426 ha Sene East fire, January 2024 99,561 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 21,408 ha Sene East fire, January 2020 127,027 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 16,285 ha Sene East fire, December 2017 89,521 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 8,445 ha Sene West fire, January 2017 20,933 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 7,669 ha Sekyere Afram Plains North fire, December 2020 40,149 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
- 6,709 ha Sene West fire, January 2016 10,413 ha in total; the hectares shown are those it shares with this fire
How big is it?
London boundary: geoBoundaries · Office for National Statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0).
Paris boundary: geoBoundaries · Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière (IGN-F) (Etalab Open License 2.0).
Madrid boundary: geoBoundaries · Open Data ESRI, IGN Central Registry of Cartography Area (CC BY 4.0).
Berlin boundary: geoBoundaries · Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (dl-de/by-2-0).
This compares size, not location: both shapes are at the same scale, north up, centred on each other.
What happened to each town
-
64,208 ha reached on 11 Jan18 %
-
Sene West where it started55,165 ha reached on 28 Dec17 %
-
230 ha reached on 10 Jan0.1 %
-
143 ha reached on 30 Dec0.0 %
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 2025Inside the perimeter there were about 13 hectares of built-up land and about 1,700 residents (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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Dec | 36.7 °C | 36 % | 20 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 28 |
| 29 Dec | 36.4 °C | 41 % | 26 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 29 |
| 30 Dec | 36.0 °C | 43 % | 22 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 28 |
| 31 Dec | 36.1 °C | 38 % | 23 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 29 |
| 1 Jan | 36.4 °C | 37 % | 26 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 29 |
| 2 Jan | 37.5 °C | 34 % | 25 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 32 |
| 3 Jan | 36.2 °C | 41 % | 24 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 31 |
| 4 Jan | 35.9 °C | 41 % | 25 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 30 |
| 5 Jan | 36.9 °C | 38 % | 27 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 32 |
| 6 Jan | 36.8 °C | 39 % | 26 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 33 |
| 7 Jan | 36.7 °C | 39 % | 27 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 32 |
| 8 Jan | 34.1 °C | 45 % | 30 km/h | 2.4 mm | Moderate 12 |
| 9 Jan | 36.4 °C | 37 % | 23 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 25 |
| 10 Jan | 36.1 °C | 38 % | 22 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 27 |
| 11 Jan | 35.7 °C | 33 % | 24 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 29 |
| 12 Jan | 35.9 °C | 38 % | 19 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 30 |
| 13 Jan | 36.9 °C | 33 % | 21 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 30 |
| 14 Jan | 35.5 °C | 41 % | 22 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 30 |
| 15 Jan | 35.7 °C | 40 % | 20 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 30 |
| 16 Jan | 36.4 °C | 33 % | 27 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 31 |
| 17 Jan | 36.5 °C | 35 % | 18 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 31 |
| 18 Jan | 36.2 °C | 39 % | 24 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 32 |
| 19 Jan | 37.0 °C | 37 % | 24 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 31 |
| 20 Jan | 36.6 °C | 38 % | 25 km/h | 0.1 mm | High 31 |
| 21 Jan | 35.7 °C | 25 % | 28 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 35 |
| 22 Jan | 35.8 °C | 20 % | 30 km/h | 0.0 mm | Very high 40 |
| 23 Jan | 36.3 °C | 24 % | 27 km/h | 0.0 mm | Very high 40 |
| 24 Jan | 36.7 °C | 19 % | 26 km/h | 0.0 mm | Very high 42 |
| 25 Jan | 36.6 °C | 14 % | 33 km/h | 0.0 mm | Very high 46 |
| 26 Jan | 36.5 °C | 18 % | 27 km/h | 0.0 mm | Very high 45 |
| 27 Jan | 37.1 °C | 20 % | 23 km/h | 0.0 mm | Very high 44 |
| 28 Jan | 37.3 °C | 32 % | 20 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 38 |
| 29 Jan | 37.5 °C | 32 % | 20 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 38 |
| 30 Jan | 37.6 °C | 29 % | 25 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 38 |
| 31 Jan | 37.7 °C | 35 % | 26 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 37 |
| 1 Feb | 36.7 °C | 41 % | 28 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 34 |
| 2 Feb | 37.2 °C | 43 % | 25 km/h | 0.2 mm | High 32 |
| 3 Feb | 36.5 °C | 35 % | 29 km/h | 2.2 mm | Moderate 19 |
| 4 Feb | 38.9 °C | 25 % | 28 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 37 |
| 5 Feb | 38.7 °C | 27 % | 27 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 36 |
| 6 Feb | 37.3 °C | 38 % | 26 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 36 |
| 7 Feb | 35.6 °C | 48 % | 28 km/h | 0.2 mm | High 28 |
| 8 Feb | 38.0 °C | 35 % | 22 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 31 |
| 9 Feb | 37.4 °C | 40 % | 28 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 33 |
| 10 Feb after | 34.3 °C | 45 % | 34 km/h | 0.1 mm | High 32 |
| 11 Feb after | 36.7 °C | 40 % | 20 km/h | 0.0 mm | High 28 |
| 12 Feb after | 37.6 °C | 39 % | 27 km/h | 0.9 mm | High 27 |
| 13 Feb after | 36.6 °C | 41 % | 31 km/h | 0.2 mm | High 28 |
| 14 Feb after | 33.8 °C | 50 % | 26 km/h | 1.2 mm | Moderate 17 |
Before and after, from space
Drag the line to compare the same ground before the fire and after it.
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 · CopernicusOn 27 January 2026 the air beside the fire reached 220 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 157: 10 times the WHO daily guideline (15).
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 · 3,474Every satellite heat detection, one by one, with time, satellite, power and coordinates.
| Date and time | Satellite | FRP (MW) | Lat | Lon |
|---|
Other fires nearby
- 118,389 haSekyere Afram Plains North14 December 2022 · 46 days · 8 km away
- 99,561 haSene East7 January 2024 · 45 days · 18 km away
- 127,027 haSene EastJanuary 2020 · 43 days · 27 km away
- 60,024 haSene WestJanuary 2019 · 26 days · 28 km away
- 95,315 haSene East5 December 2024 · 49 days · 30 km away
- 40,149 haSekyere Afram Plains NorthDecember 2020 · 29 days · 31 km away
Frequently asked questions
- How long did the Sene West fire last?
- According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 28 December 2025 to 9 February 2026 (44 days). The perimeter dates it from 31 December 2025 to 2 February 2026.
- How much area did it burn?
- The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 118,987 hectares (1,189.9 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
- Which municipalities burned?
- The fire entered 4 municipalities: Sekyere Afram Plains North (64,208 ha, 18 %); Sene West (55,165 ha, 17 %); Atebubu Amantin (230 ha, 0.1 %); Sene East (143 ha, 0.0 %).
- What was the weather like?
- During the fire the temperature reached 38.9 °C, humidity dropped to 14 % and gusts hit 33 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 Ghana (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: 112 · Emergency number and official warnings ›
Satellite cross-check
History of this page · 2 Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.
- Last day with fire: 2 February 2026 → 9 February 2026.
- Start date: 31 December 2025 → 28 December 2025.
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
How we know this
- Perimeter: GWIS (Copernicus), rebuilt from heat detections rather than mapped on imagery; 8 polygons grouped in this page.
- Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 31 December 2025 to 2 February 2026. 3,474 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.
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.