Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

Wildfire season is here, and it's already breaking records.

In the US, nearly 30,000 wildfires ignited this spring, the highest number in almost two decades. By the 4th of July, the amount of land burned in 2026 was already up 77% compared with the same time last year. Meanwhile, Europe has experienced more than double its average number of wildfires.
Bellingcat has been using open source research tools to assess the scale and impact of wildfires for some time.
In this video, you'll learn how Bellingcat monitors wildfires using free online resources- from tracking the first reports in real time to assessing damage after the flames are out.

Chapters:

00:00 - 01:49 Tracking first responses
01:50 - 02:27 Live fire cameras
02:28 - 03:20 NASA FIRMS
03:21 - 04:07 Satellite imagery
04:08 - 04:36 Building a timeline
04:37 - 06:30 Estimating scale of the damage
06:31 - 06:50 Weather patterns
06:51 - 07:36 Social media verification

Resources mentioned:
bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2026/06/30/burning-forests-tools-for-tracking-and-reporting-wildfire-damage
app.watchduty.org
broadcastify.com
https://alertwest.live/
https://forest-fire.emergency.copernicus.eu/
firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map
science.nasa.gov/mission/landsat
https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/