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Senneterre fire, 1 June 2023 Senneterre, Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, Lebel-sur-Quévillon

Out · last detection 17 Aug 2023, 18:30 UTC

The fire started on 1 June 2023 in Senneterre, Canada, and satellites saw it burning for 81 days. Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 372,443 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across 3 census subdivisions.

It is the 4th largest in Quebec since 2016 (of 254 with a page). Number 8 in Canada in 2023, of 489.

Compare with…

Suggestions: Eeyou Istchee Baie-James · 2018

Burnt area
372,443ha
official perimeter (CWFIS)
Duration
81days
1 Jun 2023 – 20 Aug 2023
Census subdivisions hit
3
municipalities
Started on
1 Jun
2023
Heat detections
27,611
in a single hotspot: 730 MW
Danger at start
21
Moderate · FWI index
Average daily power
12.7GW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 1 Jun20 Aug
17 Aug 2023

How it evolved, day by day

1 Jun 2023 · 433 MW · 10 2 Jun 2023 · 27,846 MW · 686 3 Jun 2023 · 51,630 MW · 3124 4 Jun 2023 · 9,316 MW · 979 5 Jun 2023 · 76,849 MW · 1543 6 Jun 2023 · 52,957 MW · 2197 7 Jun 2023 · 6,074 MW · 1342 8 Jun 2023 · 2,705 MW · 246 9 Jun 2023 · 573 MW · 83 10 Jun 2023 · 60 MW · 12 11 Jun 2023 · 922 MW · 102 12 Jun 2023 · 34,102 MW · 777 13 Jun 2023 · 2,907 MW · 976 14 Jun 2023 · 5,834 MW · 232 15 Jun 2023 · 1,424 MW · 154 16 Jun 2023 · 1,480 MW · 76 17 Jun 2023 · 155 MW · 80 18 Jun 2023 · 16 MW · 7 19 Jun 2023 · 2,005 MW · 183 20 Jun 2023 · 28,717 MW · 1274 21 Jun 2023 · 10,245 MW · 1983 22 Jun 2023 · 32,891 MW · 1471 23 Jun 2023 · 16,850 MW · 4169 24 Jun 2023 · 14,088 MW · 2959 25 Jun 2023 · 9,879 MW · 2176 26 Jun 2023 · 2,038 MW · 546 30 Jun 2023 · 5 MW · 2 4 Jul 2023 · 133 MW · 7 5 Jul 2023 · 786 MW · 58 6 Jul 2023 · 323 MW · 152 17 Aug 2023 · 76 MW · 5
1 Jun 5 Jun 6 Jun 11 Jun 16 Jun 21 Jun 26 Jun 17 Aug

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

The weather it burned in

33°high
62km/h · peak gust
20%lowest humidity

It had gone 8 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 1.3 mm on 24 Aug.

This area had burned before

2% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 8,165 ha in 2018.

How big is it?

20 km
It burned the equivalent of 2.4 times the area of London (3,724 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 census subdivision

  1. Senneterre where it started
    245,346 ha reached on 1 Jun
    15 %
  2. Eeyou Istchee Baie-James
    124,088 ha reached on 1 Jun
    0.4 %
  3. Lebel-sur-Quévillon
    127 ha reached on 3 Jun
    2.6 %

Burnt area inside each census subdivision, from crossing the official 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 area5.8 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there were about 5.8 hectares of 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)
1 Jun 30.9 °C 24 % 36 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 21
2 Jun 26.3 °C 20 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
3 Jun 22.9 °C 23 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
4 Jun 23.4 °C 21 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
5 Jun 22.2 °C 36 % 49 km/h 0.6 mm Moderate 20
6 Jun 17.9 °C 26 % 55 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
7 Jun 14.6 °C 47 % 57 km/h 0.7 mm Moderate 15
8 Jun 18.4 °C 50 % 38 km/h 3.2 mm Very low 3
9 Jun 17.7 °C 48 % 26 km/h 1.7 mm Very low 3
10 Jun 18.3 °C 46 % 26 km/h 0.1 mm Low 6
11 Jun 22.5 °C 39 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
12 Jun 26.3 °C 32 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
13 Jun 24.7 °C 44 % 44 km/h 2.5 mm Low 7
14 Jun 23.7 °C 32 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
15 Jun 21.4 °C 47 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
16 Jun 19.5 °C 41 % 41 km/h 0.6 mm Moderate 15
17 Jun 21.2 °C 51 % 28 km/h 0.9 mm Low 9
18 Jun 21.4 °C 46 % 27 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 12
19 Jun 24.3 °C 33 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
20 Jun 28.3 °C 24 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm High 24
21 Jun 31.1 °C 26 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
22 Jun 31.4 °C 30 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
23 Jun 30.6 °C 31 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
24 Jun 26.8 °C 35 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
25 Jun 24.9 °C 29 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
26 Jun 21.7 °C 58 % 44 km/h 10.5 mm Very low 2
27 Jun 20.2 °C 76 % 36 km/h 29.1 mm Very low 0
28 Jun 21.2 °C 56 % 42 km/h 8.6 mm Very low 0
29 Jun 26.6 °C 31 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
30 Jun 27.1 °C 36 % 40 km/h 0.4 mm Low 11
1 Jul 25.5 °C 57 % 41 km/h 10.8 mm Very low 0
2 Jul 26.9 °C 45 % 23 km/h 0.6 mm Very low 2
3 Jul 29.2 °C 40 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
4 Jul 32.7 °C 29 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
5 Jul 32.0 °C 35 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
6 Jul 24.6 °C 65 % 37 km/h 15.4 mm Very low 0
7 Jul 22.8 °C 55 % 30 km/h 3.1 mm Very low 0
8 Jul 25.5 °C 40 % 21 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 2
9 Jul 23.5 °C 53 % 26 km/h 9.1 mm Very low 0
10 Jul 28.1 °C 30 % 39 km/h 0.2 mm Low 6
11 Jul 24.8 °C 51 % 37 km/h 8.2 mm Very low 1
12 Jul 20.4 °C 48 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
13 Jul 19.0 °C 69 % 40 km/h 35.6 mm Very low 0
14 Jul 24.6 °C 42 % 42 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 1
15 Jul 26.0 °C 49 % 44 km/h 1.0 mm Very low 4
16 Jul 25.1 °C 64 % 24 km/h 5.7 mm Very low 0
17 Jul 23.5 °C 62 % 48 km/h 6.7 mm Very low 0
18 Jul 21.7 °C 52 % 40 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 1
19 Jul 18.6 °C 62 % 32 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 1
20 Jul 22.3 °C 60 % 27 km/h 3.6 mm Very low 0
21 Jul 17.4 °C 76 % 38 km/h 30.7 mm Very low 0
22 Jul 22.8 °C 45 % 39 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 0
23 Jul 26.8 °C 31 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
24 Jul 23.6 °C 55 % 39 km/h 8.5 mm Very low 0
25 Jul 22.8 °C 44 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
26 Jul 25.0 °C 48 % 54 km/h 20.1 mm Very low 0
27 Jul 24.2 °C 45 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
28 Jul 24.1 °C 58 % 56 km/h 4.8 mm Very low 1
29 Jul 16.7 °C 56 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
30 Jul 17.9 °C 62 % 33 km/h 4.3 mm Very low 0
31 Jul 15.0 °C 50 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
1 Aug 17.9 °C 47 % 32 km/h 0.5 mm Very low 2
2 Aug 23.0 °C 36 % 41 km/h 4.8 mm Very low 1
3 Aug 20.5 °C 68 % 54 km/h 18.0 mm Very low 0
4 Aug 19.2 °C 61 % 42 km/h 1.6 mm Very low 0
5 Aug 22.6 °C 41 % 43 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 2
6 Aug 24.2 °C 32 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
7 Aug 22.6 °C 47 % 29 km/h 0.4 mm Low 7
8 Aug 20.0 °C 70 % 40 km/h 9.8 mm Very low 0
9 Aug 23.4 °C 52 % 24 km/h 3.5 mm Very low 0
10 Aug 21.5 °C 71 % 25 km/h 3.9 mm Very low 0
11 Aug 16.3 °C 71 % 44 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 0
12 Aug 17.1 °C 64 % 20 km/h 2.6 mm Very low 0
13 Aug 18.0 °C 74 % 32 km/h 7.1 mm Very low 0
14 Aug 20.2 °C 63 % 29 km/h 1.2 mm Very low 0
15 Aug 23.3 °C 41 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
16 Aug 21.3 °C 64 % 32 km/h 2.7 mm Very low 0
17 Aug 26.1 °C 46 % 62 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
18 Aug 18.7 °C 89 % 38 km/h 16.5 mm Very low 0
19 Aug 20.6 °C 58 % 46 km/h 1.5 mm Very low 0
20 Aug 22.1 °C 70 % 43 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 1
21 Aug after 20.0 °C 47 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
22 Aug after 22.1 °C 39 % 32 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 5
23 Aug after 23.0 °C 43 % 22 km/h 0.2 mm Low 6
24 Aug after 20.9 °C 61 % 34 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 2

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 25 May 2023
After · 27 Aug 2023

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 4 June 2023 the air beside the fire reached 1,378 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 376: 25 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak1,378 µg/m³
Days over the guideline38 days
PM101,974 µg/m³
Optical depth4.83
3031123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930311234567891011121314151617181920212223
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 · 27,611Every 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 Canada ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Senneterre fire last?
It burned between 1 June 2023 and 20 August 2023: 81 days, according to the dates recorded by Canada’s CWFIS and the heat detections seen by satellite.
How much area did it burn?
The official perimeter mapped by Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) is 372,443 hectares (3,724.4 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.
Which census subdivisions burned?
The fire entered 3 census subdivisions: Senneterre (245,346 ha, 15 %); Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (124,088 ha, 0.4 %); Lebel-sur-Quévillon (127 ha, 2.6 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 32.7 °C, humidity dropped to 20 % and gusts hit 62 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 29, class High.
Where does this data come from?
From the official burnt perimeter of Canada’s CWFIS (NBAC, Natural Resources Canada) or, for the current season and until NBAC publishes it, the one rebuilt by GWIS (Copernicus); from NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots; and from the administrative boundaries of Canada. 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 · 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
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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 911.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: NBAC (Natural Resources Canada), official; 3 polygons grouped in this page.
  • Dates from the perimeter: the VIIRS detections inside it did not change them. 27,611 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 is official: it comes from the National Burned Area Composite (NBAC) of the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), Natural Resources Canada, which maps it on satellite imagery and publishes it under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Until NBAC publishes the current season, this year’s fires carry the perimeter rebuilt from heat detections by GWIS (Copernicus, CC BY 4.0), which is approximate. Heat detections come from the VIIRS sensors aboard Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20, distributed by NASA FIRMS at 375 m resolution. Census subdivision boundaries come from geoBoundaries ADM3 (Open Data Commons Open Database License 1.0). The area per census subdivision is computed by WorldFires by crossing the perimeter with those boundaries, so it may differ slightly from official figures.