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Yalinga fire, 24 December 2020 Yalinga, Rafaï

Out · last detection 8 Mar 2021, 11:55 UTC

The fire started on 24 December 2020 in Yalinga, Central African Republic, and satellites saw it burning for 74 days. Copernicus’s global GWIS system rebuilt a burnt perimeter of 979,715 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.

It is the largest fire in Haute-Kotto since 2016 (of 372 with a page). The largest in Central African Republic in 2020, of 103.

Burnt area
979,715ha
GWIS perimeter (Copernicus)
Duration
74days
24 Dec 2020 – 7 Mar 2021
Municipalities hit
2
sub-prefectures
Started on
24 Dec
2020
Heat detections
39,967
in a single hotspot: 397 MW
Danger at start
48
Very high · FWI index
Energy released
323.5GW
sum of detected power

Where it burned

8 Mar 2021
HOTSPOTS BY DAY 24 Dec7 Mar

How it evolved, day by day

2425262728293031123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930311234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272812345678

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

The weather it burned in

39°high
48km/h · peak gust
7%lowest humidity

It had gone 52 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 1.0 mm on 16 Mar.

This area had burned before

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

What happened to each town

  1. Yalinga where it started
    637,778 ha reached on 24 Dec
    15 %
  2. Rafaï
    347,813 ha reached on 23 Jan
    13 %

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)
26 Dec 34.5 °C 18 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
27 Dec 35.0 °C 17 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
28 Dec 35.2 °C 16 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
29 Dec 35.6 °C 13 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
30 Dec 35.9 °C 15 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
31 Dec 36.0 °C 13 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
1 Jan 35.9 °C 13 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
2 Jan 35.4 °C 15 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 50
3 Jan 35.4 °C 12 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 50
4 Jan 35.9 °C 14 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
5 Jan 35.4 °C 14 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
6 Jan 35.8 °C 11 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 60
7 Jan 35.5 °C 11 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
8 Jan 34.8 °C 12 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
9 Jan 33.5 °C 14 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 51
10 Jan 33.8 °C 10 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
11 Jan 34.0 °C 10 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
12 Jan 34.9 °C 11 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
13 Jan 35.6 °C 11 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
14 Jan 35.2 °C 11 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
15 Jan 35.2 °C 10 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
16 Jan 34.9 °C 12 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
17 Jan 36.1 °C 11 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
18 Jan 35.8 °C 9 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
19 Jan 34.7 °C 12 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
20 Jan 33.6 °C 10 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
21 Jan 33.6 °C 13 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
22 Jan 34.6 °C 14 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
23 Jan 35.6 °C 14 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
24 Jan 35.9 °C 14 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
25 Jan 36.5 °C 15 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
26 Jan 35.5 °C 13 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
27 Jan 36.7 °C 14 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
28 Jan 36.8 °C 13 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 60
29 Jan 35.6 °C 7 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 61
30 Jan 35.3 °C 9 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
31 Jan 36.1 °C 8 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
1 Feb 37.0 °C 9 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
2 Feb 37.5 °C 11 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
3 Feb 38.3 °C 10 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
4 Feb 37.8 °C 12 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
5 Feb 35.4 °C 11 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
6 Feb 33.3 °C 9 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 66
7 Feb 32.9 °C 8 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
8 Feb 33.4 °C 7 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
9 Feb 34.8 °C 8 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
10 Feb 35.5 °C 8 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
11 Feb 36.6 °C 10 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
12 Feb 37.0 °C 10 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
13 Feb 37.9 °C 11 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
14 Feb 38.4 °C 10 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
15 Feb 38.5 °C 9 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
16 Feb 39.0 °C 8 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
17 Feb 36.1 °C 10 % 47 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 69
18 Feb 31.1 °C 13 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
19 Feb 32.4 °C 11 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
20 Feb 33.4 °C 10 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
21 Feb 34.2 °C 11 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 56
22 Feb 35.4 °C 11 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
23 Feb 35.8 °C 9 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 57
24 Feb 34.9 °C 9 % 45 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 63
25 Feb 34.3 °C 9 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
26 Feb 36.1 °C 10 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 58
27 Feb 36.5 °C 10 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 55
28 Feb 37.6 °C 9 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
1 Mar 36.9 °C 7 % 46 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 66
2 Mar 37.4 °C 7 % 43 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
3 Mar 37.3 °C 9 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 64
4 Mar 37.4 °C 9 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
5 Mar 36.9 °C 8 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 66
6 Mar 37.5 °C 9 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 62
7 Mar 37.9 °C 9 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
8 Mar after 36.0 °C 17 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 49
9 Mar after 36.8 °C 18 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very high 48
10 Mar after 39.0 °C 7 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
11 Mar after 39.1 °C 10 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
12 Mar after 38.9 °C 14 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 59
13 Mar after 37.8 °C 17 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 54
14 Mar after 37.0 °C 23 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 53
15 Mar after 36.7 °C 21 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Extreme 52
16 Mar after 34.9 °C 28 % 36 km/h 1.0 mm High 34

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 17 Dec 2020
After · 14 Mar 2021

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 · 39,967Every 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 Central African Republic ›

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Yalinga fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 24 December 2020 to 7 March 2021 (74 days). The perimeter dates it from 26 December 2020 to 6 March 2021.
How much area did it burn?
The perimeter GWIS (Copernicus) rebuilt from heat detections is 979,715 hectares (9,797.2 km²). It is an estimate: official national figures may differ.
Which municipalities burned?
The fire entered 2 municipalities: Yalinga (637,778 ha, 15 %); Rafaï (347,813 ha, 13 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 39.0 °C, humidity dropped to 7 % and gusts hit 48 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 69, class Extreme.
Where does this data come from?
From the GWIS (Copernicus) burnt perimeter, NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots and the administrative boundaries of Central African Republic (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 ADM3 (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Intergovernmental Organisations (CC BY 3.0 IGO)). 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.