Record forest fires raged out of control in South America in 2024, scorching areas that had never burned before. An El Niño episode is expected to intensify fires in 2026 and 2027.Earlier this month, nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance launched three FireSat satellites, the latest step in its plans to provide firefighters worldwide with more precise and rapidly updated data.For countries in the Amazon basin, the technology promises to provide data that could ensure faster and more accurate responses. Yet, in many countries, the lack of physical infrastructure and governmental support could dampen the positive impacts of having more data.
Record wildfires devastated South America in 2024, raging out of control in biomes where fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, but also entering rainforests that had never burned before. Driven by expanding industrial agriculture, an El Niño episode, and droughts worsened by global climate change, the thick smoke from the wildfires grounded flights, shuttered schools, and caused lasting health problems.
After favorable weather led to a reprieve from the most destructive fires worldwide last year, fire experts expect major wildfires to return to South America in 2026 and 2027. With fire season beginning in the continent, park rangers and firefighters hope that a trio of satellites launched in early July will provide more precise, rapidly updated data to wildland firefighters worldwide.
