Are there wildfires in Canada right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 119 active fire hotspots in Canada 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 Canada Today

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

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

119

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at 35 km S of Cranbrook, British Columbia

2 km/h from the N — carrying smoke towards the S.

-3°C · 72% humidity

Air quality Very poor

PM2.5 109.4 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 88 · US AQI 121

Everyone should limit outdoor exertion. Keep windows closed if smoke is nearby.

The band above follows the European index, which averages particulates over 24 hours — so a sharp rise in this hour's PM2.5, as smoke passing overhead causes, shows up in the reading before it moves the band.

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.

15 active fires in Canada

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
35 km S of Cranbrook, British Columbia
31 detections~8.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 10:45 UTC49.199, -115.692
84 MW
2
17 km SE of High Level, Alberta
7 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:40 UTC58.403, -116.947
33 MW
3
15 km E of High Level, Alberta
3 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:40 UTC58.568, -116.899
18 MW
4
92 km W of Penticton, British Columbia
9 detections~6.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 10:45 UTC49.457, -120.866
17 MW
5
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:42 UTC54.967, -114.023
15 MW
6
104 km NE of Williams Lake, British Columbia
8 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:42 UTC52.797, -121.066
12 MW
7
32 km N of Fort McMurray, Alberta
6 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:40 UTC57.006, -111.477
11 MW
8
91 km W of Penticton, British Columbia
3 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:45 UTC49.278, -120.798
11 MW
9
62 km E of Grande Prairie, Alberta
5 detections~5.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 10:42 UTC55.053, -117.848
10 MW
10
55 km SW of Toronto, Ontario
6 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 07:22 UTC43.267, -79.806
8 MW

Plus 16 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.

Fires by region in Canada

British Columbia Alberta 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