Since 1995 the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin - Madison has been using the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-8 Automated Biomass Burning Algorithm (ABBA) to monitor diurnal biomass burning activity throughout South America during the fire season (June - October). The Brazil Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) has monitored fire activity in Brazil using the Advanced Very High Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor on board the NOAA-12 satellite since 1987. This paper presents a comparison at the peak of the burning season of biomass burning results from 1995 to 2000 as observed by both instruments. It will include an overview of the spectral, spatial, and temporal observing characteristics of both GOES and AVHRR and discuss respective advantages of each system for fire identification in the region. It will be shown that the higher temporal resolution of the GOES and the higher spatial resolution of the NOAA AVHRR provide complimentary information on fire activity in South America.