Skip to content
worldfires
en
CA · Canada · →

Wood Buffalo fire, May 2016 Wood Buffalo, Division No. 18, Unorganized

Out · last detection 2 Jul 2016, 10:10 UTC

The fire started on 1 May 2016 in Wood Buffalo, Canada, and satellites saw it burning for 98 days. Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 477,421 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across 2 census subdivisions.

It is the largest fire in Alberta since 2016 (of 244 with a page). The largest in Canada in 2016, of 88.

Compare with…

Suggestions: Wood Buffalo · 2022

Burnt area
477,421ha
official perimeter (CWFIS)
Duration
98days
1 May 2016 – 6 Aug 2016
Census subdivisions hit
2
municipalities
Started on
1 May
2016
Heat detections
22,979
in a single hotspot: 1,768 MW
Danger at start
18
Moderate · FWI index
Average daily power
16.7GW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 1 May6 Aug
2 Jul 2016

How it evolved, day by day

2 May 2016 · 2,133 MW · 93 3 May 2016 · 6,094 MW · 156 4 May 2016 · 6,654 MW · 587 5 May 2016 · 20,730 MW · 630 6 May 2016 · 69,142 MW · 2889 7 May 2016 · 13,372 MW · 452 8 May 2016 · 1,150 MW · 162 9 May 2016 · 293 MW · 166 10 May 2016 · 4,954 MW · 125 11 May 2016 · 501 MW · 202 12 May 2016 · 2,231 MW · 188 13 May 2016 · 9,301 MW · 382 14 May 2016 · 27,207 MW · 1030 15 May 2016 · 10,860 MW · 1272 16 May 2016 · 177,475 MW · 4740 17 May 2016 · 29,270 MW · 3143 18 May 2016 · 44,874 MW · 2121 19 May 2016 · 1,823 MW · 641 20 May 2016 · 7,724 MW · 274 23 May 2016 · 22,950 MW · 432 24 May 2016 · 81,122 MW · 1840 25 May 2016 · 3,974 MW · 665 26 May 2016 · 3,719 MW · 372 27 May 2016 · 11 MW · 3 4 Jun 2016 · 43 MW · 3 5 Jun 2016 · 22 MW · 8 6 Jun 2016 · 3,397 MW · 118 7 Jun 2016 · 529 MW · 143 8 Jun 2016 · 301 MW · 137 22 Jun 2016 · 4 MW · 1 26 Jun 2016 · 1 MW · 1 28 Jun 2016 · 3 MW · 1 2 Jul 2016 · 2 MW · 2
2 May 7 May 12 May 16 May 17 May 24 May 5 Jun 26 Jun

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

The weather it burned in

32°high
84km/h · peak gust
11%lowest humidity

It had gone 4 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 1.2 mm on 8 Aug.

This area had burned before

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

How big is it?

20 km
It burned the equivalent of 3.0 times the area of London (4,774 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. Wood Buffalo where it started
    462,244 ha reached on 2 May
    7.0 %
  2. Division No. 18, Unorganized
    0 ha
    0.0 %

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 2015
Built-up area47 ha
Residents≈ 10,000

Inside the perimeter there were about 47 hectares of built-up land and about 10,000 residents (GHSL 2015, 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.

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 May 24.3 °C 13 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
2 May 28.6 °C 20 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
3 May 32.1 °C 11 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
4 May 29.7 °C 17 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
5 May 20.1 °C 20 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm High 28
6 May 19.6 °C 16 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
7 May 26.7 °C 18 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
8 May 17.8 °C 25 % 55 km/h 0.4 mm High 30
9 May 9.9 °C 51 % 48 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 18
10 May 12.8 °C 37 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
11 May 11.4 °C 27 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
12 May 13.3 °C 23 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
13 May 16.6 °C 21 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
14 May 21.1 °C 18 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 22
15 May 24.0 °C 18 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
16 May 25.9 °C 14 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm High 33
17 May 24.4 °C 28 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
18 May 22.8 °C 31 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
19 May 14.0 °C 63 % 50 km/h 0.4 mm Moderate 18
20 May 18.6 °C 41 % 39 km/h 0.6 mm Moderate 16
21 May 19.5 °C 54 % 35 km/h 10.6 mm Very low 1
22 May 13.3 °C 61 % 43 km/h 4.4 mm Very low 0
23 May 20.6 °C 23 % 34 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 4
24 May 20.9 °C 32 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
25 May 22.3 °C 34 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
26 May 22.4 °C 40 % 30 km/h 1.3 mm Low 8
27 May 20.6 °C 47 % 50 km/h 0.6 mm Moderate 12
28 May 19.1 °C 56 % 53 km/h 5.4 mm Very low 2
29 May 16.8 °C 62 % 25 km/h 6.5 mm Very low 0
30 May 17.3 °C 69 % 35 km/h 7.6 mm Very low 0
31 May 19.7 °C 29 % 27 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 1
1 Jun 19.8 °C 41 % 26 km/h 2.3 mm Very low 1
2 Jun 23.8 °C 35 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
3 Jun 22.1 °C 39 % 42 km/h 1.7 mm Very low 4
4 Jun 23.1 °C 26 % 57 km/h 0.3 mm Moderate 15
5 Jun 22.2 °C 30 % 53 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 15
6 Jun 27.0 °C 23 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm High 21
7 Jun 26.3 °C 26 % 44 km/h 1.0 mm Moderate 17
8 Jun 23.7 °C 34 % 31 km/h 1.1 mm Moderate 11
9 Jun 14.8 °C 72 % 55 km/h 37.7 mm Very low 0
10 Jun 21.4 °C 36 % 42 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 1
11 Jun 17.0 °C 48 % 48 km/h 5.4 mm Very low 1
12 Jun 16.4 °C 69 % 49 km/h 13.9 mm Very low 0
13 Jun 21.0 °C 35 % 50 km/h 1.2 mm Very low 1
14 Jun 25.5 °C 33 % 44 km/h 0.4 mm Low 7
15 Jun 19.2 °C 40 % 84 km/h 11.6 mm Very low 1
16 Jun 20.2 °C 35 % 48 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 4
17 Jun 17.5 °C 37 % 52 km/h 2.3 mm Very low 2
18 Jun 19.5 °C 30 % 41 km/h 1.8 mm Very low 2
19 Jun 19.5 °C 24 % 55 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 12
20 Jun 24.4 °C 18 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 13
21 Jun 28.3 °C 18 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
22 Jun 28.6 °C 20 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
23 Jun 25.2 °C 45 % 29 km/h 2.1 mm Very low 3
24 Jun 19.8 °C 71 % 28 km/h 10.4 mm Very low 0
25 Jun 22.7 °C 46 % 34 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 2
26 Jun 25.4 °C 38 % 22 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 5
27 Jun 25.8 °C 40 % 31 km/h 0.9 mm Low 7
28 Jun 28.0 °C 31 % 38 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 14
29 Jun 26.6 °C 26 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
30 Jun 27.6 °C 31 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 18
1 Jul 27.5 °C 24 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 20
2 Jul 24.0 °C 38 % 45 km/h 3.0 mm Very low 5
3 Jul 23.9 °C 45 % 39 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 3
4 Jul 18.3 °C 69 % 28 km/h 24.6 mm Very low 0
5 Jul 22.1 °C 53 % 44 km/h 3.7 mm Very low 0
6 Jul 18.0 °C 68 % 24 km/h 8.1 mm Very low 0
7 Jul 18.3 °C 67 % 27 km/h 1.8 mm Very low 0
8 Jul 21.0 °C 42 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
9 Jul 24.0 °C 42 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
10 Jul 22.8 °C 48 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
11 Jul 24.6 °C 45 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
12 Jul 24.3 °C 41 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
13 Jul 22.7 °C 45 % 38 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 3
14 Jul 24.3 °C 37 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
15 Jul 26.8 °C 28 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
16 Jul 25.3 °C 43 % 44 km/h 2.5 mm Very low 4
17 Jul 22.9 °C 34 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
18 Jul 27.6 °C 28 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
19 Jul 27.7 °C 38 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
20 Jul 22.4 °C 64 % 28 km/h 6.3 mm Very low 0
21 Jul 19.9 °C 71 % 48 km/h 17.1 mm Very low 0
22 Jul 23.7 °C 49 % 51 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 1
23 Jul 22.9 °C 53 % 28 km/h 2.9 mm Very low 1
24 Jul 24.2 °C 42 % 55 km/h 0.6 mm Very low 5
25 Jul 21.6 °C 43 % 37 km/h 0.2 mm Low 8
26 Jul 27.0 °C 34 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
27 Jul 28.3 °C 32 % 33 km/h 0.4 mm Moderate 12
28 Jul 26.1 °C 42 % 19 km/h 1.5 mm Very low 5
29 Jul 26.9 °C 39 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
30 Jul 24.9 °C 48 % 24 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 5
31 Jul 17.5 °C 87 % 34 km/h 20.0 mm Very low 0
1 Aug 20.9 °C 71 % 55 km/h 13.9 mm Very low 0
2 Aug 23.3 °C 51 % 40 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 1
3 Aug 24.0 °C 41 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
4 Aug 25.1 °C 32 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
5 Aug 25.2 °C 37 % 16 km/h 0.1 mm Low 9
6 Aug 25.8 °C 35 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
7 Aug after 24.1 °C 45 % 24 km/h 0.2 mm Low 11
8 Aug after 23.2 °C 42 % 20 km/h 1.2 mm Low 6

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 24 Apr 2016
After · 13 Aug 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 · 22,979Every 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 Wood Buffalo fire last?
It burned between 1 May 2016 and 6 August 2016: 98 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 477,421 hectares (4,774.2 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.
Which census subdivisions burned?
The fire entered 2 census subdivisions: Wood Buffalo (462,244 ha, 7.0 %); Division No. 18, Unorganized (0 ha, 0.0 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 32.1 °C, humidity dropped to 11 % and gusts hit 84 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 33, 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
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 911.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: NBAC (Natural Resources Canada), official.
  • Dates from the perimeter: the VIIRS detections inside it did not change them. 22,979 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 2015, 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.