Fires burned across New Guinea in September and October 2026 as drought linked to a strong El Niño dried out the world's second-largest island, NASA's Earth Observatory reported on October 22, 2026. The VIIRS instrument on the NOAA-20 satellite captured thick smoke streaming from the island's southern part on October 11, 2026. Air pollution delayed and canceled flights, closed schools, and led officials in some areas to urge children and older people to wear masks.

Citing the Global Fire Emissions Database, the observatory said fires in Papua New Guinea had released nearly 32 megatons of carbon by October 17, more than in any other year on record at that point in the year. On the Indonesian side, emissions exceeded 35 megatons, the third highest after 2015 and 1997. Researchers say people ignite the vast majority of fires in this normally wet region, for reasons including crop fires, land clearing and hunting, and that dry conditions let managed fires spread.

Papua New Guinea's weather service reported that the southern Trans-Fly region went more than 90 consecutive days without rain, with parts of the area seeing roughly 5 to 10 percent of normal precipitation since August. Researchers expected the fires to continue until the wet season's heavy rains arrive in the south, typically in early November.