The image has been overlaid with the satellite instrument’s shortwave infrared signal to highlight the emitting heat source, which can be linked, in this case, to the active fire front.

There are hundreds of firefighters trying to tackle the blaze, but the fire is spreading southwards towards the Algarve, a tourist destination.

Other southern European countries have also been grappling with fierce temperatures and fires in recent weeks. In fact, according to the World Meteorological Organization, July 2023 is likely to have been the hottest month on record.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites, each carrying an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands for monitoring changes in Earth’s land and vegetation.