 An unprecedented outbreak of fires was observed during the first months of 2016 in open forests formations in the Republic of Congo. The anomalies of the recent fires and meteorological situation compared to historical data show the severity of the drought. Burnt areas mapped by the S1SAR and S2 multispectral instrument, MSI, sensors highlight that the fires occurred mainly in Marentesi forests. This article was authored by Astrid Verheggen, Hugh Eva, Guido Cetturini, and others.