Are there wildfires in Alberta right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 132 active fire hotspots in Alberta over the last 3 days. The map on this page shows their exact locations, updated hourly.

How does NASA detect wildfires?

NASA's VIIRS and MODIS instruments aboard the Suomi NPP, NOAA-20 and Terra/Aqua satellites detect thermal anomalies (heat signatures) from orbit. Each detection is a "hotspot" — a pixel where the sensor measured fire-level heat. Data is published within about 3 hours of the satellite overpass through the FIRMS system.

What does fire intensity (FRP) mean?

FRP (Fire Radiative Power, in megawatts) measures how much energy a fire is releasing. Higher FRP means a more intense fire. On this map, brighter red dots are higher-intensity detections.

Wildfires in Alberta Today

Name: Active Wildfires in Alberta
Creator: NASA
Published: 2024-01-01
License: https://www.nasa.gov/open/
Keywords: wildfires, fires alberta, NASA FIRMS, active fire map, VIIRS

Live active-fire map for Alberta from NASA FIRMS satellite data. Where fires are burning right now — updated hourly. Typical fire season: May–August.

132

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at 67 km SE of Grande Prairie, Alberta

8 km/h from the SSW — carrying smoke towards the NNE.

17°C · 48% humidity

Air quality Fair

PM2.5 5.7 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 21 · US AQI 30

Air quality is acceptable for almost everyone.

Wind direction only — not a smoke dispersion forecast. Air quality is modelled, not a street-level measurement. Weather from MET Norway; air quality from Open-Meteo (Copernicus CAMS). Both CC BY 4.0.

13 active fires in Alberta

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
67 km SE of Grande Prairie, Alberta
17 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 11:06 UTC54.617, -118.384
78 MW
2
39 km SE of Grande Prairie, Alberta
22 detections~4.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 11:06 UTC54.869, -118.483
65 MW
3
32 km SE of Grande Prairie, Alberta
11 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 11:06 UTC54.968, -118.431
43 MW
4
42 km SE of Grande Prairie, Alberta
12 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 11:06 UTC54.945, -118.273
26 MW
5
32 km N of Fort McMurray, Alberta
12 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 11:04 UTC57.007, -111.478
22 MW
6
39 km S of Grande Prairie, Alberta
5 detections~13.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 11:25 UTC54.836, -118.964
20 MW
7
Remote area
8 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 11:25 UTC53.516, -115.553
18 MW
8
76 km SE of Grande Prairie, Alberta
7 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 11:06 UTC54.580, -118.195
9 MW
9
7 km E of Edmonton, Alberta
9 detections~5.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 11:06 UTC53.542, -113.383
8 MW
10
42 km NE of Edmonton, Alberta
4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 11:06 UTC53.846, -113.117
6 MW

Plus 13 smaller heat detections — often agricultural burning rather than wildfire.

About this wildfire map

This map uses NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), which publishes active-fire detections from the VIIRS and MODIS instruments aboard NASA and NOAA satellites. Each dot is a thermal “hotspot” where the sensor measured fire-level heat, usually within 3 hours of the satellite passing overhead. It shows where fires are actively burning — not fire perimeters or evacuation zones. For safety and evacuation information, always follow your local emergency services.

More of Canada

All of Canada British Columbia Ontario Quebec Saskatchewan Manitoba the Northwest Territories

Wildfires in other countries

Greece Spain Portugal Italy France Turkey Croatia Cyprus Albania North Macedonia Bulgaria Montenegro Germany United Kingdom United States Mexico Brazil Argentina Chile Australia