Forest Fire (18888 ha) in Sierra Leone 22 Apr 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 1013776
Countries: Sierra Leone
Start Date - Last detection*: 22 Apr 2023 - 30 Apr 2023
Duration (days): 8
People affected: 8881 in the burned area
Burned area: 18888 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.

25 Apr 06:0107 May 06:13

Impact Timeline

IDAlert colorGDACS ScorePopulation AffectedBurned Area (ha)Last UpdateSource
1 0.5 1327 7045 25 Apr 2023 03:00 GWIS
2 0.5 8881 18888 07 May 2023 03:00 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 130000 people
5 km 55000 people
2 km 25000 people
1 km 18000 people
Burned Area 8900 people

Land Cover area Source
Settlement 4864 m2 GHSL
Protected Area 326 ha WDPA

Affected Provinces

Region Province Country Population
Northern Sierra Leone 2.3 million people

Affected populated places

Name Region Province Country City class Population Distance
Makeni Northern Sierra Leone City 86000 people 22 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 83 km
Yengema WYE 396 Civ. Paved No 3000 99 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.