C-CORE has collected satellite data from the USGS (Landsat-8/9), the European Space Agency – ESA (Sentinel-2) and Airbus Defence and Space (SPOT) to map some of the wildfires around the Avalon Peninsula over the past couple of weeks. These data come from optical satellites, which cannot see through cloud, but can penetrate smoke to see characteristics of the ground.

The graphics above were generated from Landsat-8 imagery and show how the Kingston, Conception Bay North fire developed from August 9 to August 10, 2025. The reflectance images in the first graphic show the amount of light energy reflected from an area, and the area affected by fire is darker and less reflective. The second is the thermal band, which shows the temperature of the ground. The most active areas of the fire are bright, and the recently burned areas are still distinct from the surrounding areas.

We were able to collect a timeseries with satellite imagery, highlighted in both a true color composite (RGB visible colour bands) and false color composite (reflectance) below. The first image on August 3,2025 was taken before the Kingston wildfire started. By working with different bands, it is possible to create an image where much of the cloud is supressed. Satellite imagery is great at identifying the locations and extent of wildfires.

The Paddy’s Pond wildfire is shown below using the RGB visible color bands. Areas of the wildfire appear brown compared to the green vegetation around it. Paddy’s Pond can be seen in black next to the fire. It is noticeable in the graphics below that the extents of the wildfire did not grow significantly between August 13 and August 17, 2025.

C-CORE was founded in St. John’s in 1975 and several of our staff and their families have been affected by the recent wildfires. We have been using our 30+ years of experience in satellite remote sensing to post updates about the fires, and we use satellites to support emergency response for several other applications as well.