Forest Fire (6055 ha) in Sierra Leone 27 Feb 2023

Event summary

This forest fire is expected to have a low humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.

GDACS ID WF 1012782
Countries: Sierra Leone
Start Date - Last detection*: 27 Feb 2023 - 15 Mar 2023
Duration (days): 16
People affected: 310 in the burned area
Burned area: 6055 ha
More Info: Global Wildfire Information System

*(Last detection of the thermal anomaly of the fire)

GDACS Score


Detailed event map. European Union, 2024. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.


Impact Timeline

IDAlert colorGDACS ScorePopulation AffectedBurned Area (ha)Last UpdateSource
1 0.5 310 6055 17 Mar 2023 04:00 GWIS

Fires Joined

This event includes other close identified fires:

Exposed population

The forest fire happened in Sierra Leone , Province of Northern (population 2,348,345) . The nearest places are and Makeni.

Radius Population
10 km 23000 people
5 km 13000 people
2 km 1500 people
1 km 1300 people
Burned Area <1000 people

Land Cover area Source
Protected Area 730 ha WDPA

Affected Provinces

Region Province Country Population
Northern Sierra Leone 2.3 million people
Eastern Sierra Leone 1.2 million people

Affected populated places

Name Region Province Country City class Population Distance
Makeni Northern Sierra Leone City 86000 people 98 km

see full list

Critical infrastructure

Airports, ports, nuclear plants and hydrodams at risk, if affected, are listed below.

Airports

Name IATA Code Elevation (m) Usage Runway type IFR Runway Length (ft) Distance
Kabala KBA 308 Civ. Paved No 4000 57 km
Yengema WYE 396 Civ. Paved No 3000 69 km
Faranah FAA 450 Civ. Paved Yes 7500 103 km

Ports

Dams

Nuclear plants

More information

For a full list of available products related to this event, please refer to the GDACS Resources page.