Are there wildfires in Chile right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 207 active fire hotspots in Chile 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 Chile Today

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

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

207

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

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

24°C · 21% humidity

Air quality Fair

PM2.5 3.3 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 39 · US AQI 22

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.

24 active fires in Chile

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
17 detections~2 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 06:29 UTC-38.693, -68.709
95 MW
2
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 17:28 UTC-31.765, -68.283
72 MW
3
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-17 17:45 UTC-37.733, -71.240
64 MW
4
76 km S of Santiago, Chile
10 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 06:29 UTC-34.105, -70.458
59 MW
5
Remote area
31 detections~28.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 06:29 UTC-38.301, -68.765
57 MW
6
Remote area
2 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 19:06 UTC-43.779, -67.635
34 MW
7
Remote area
7 detections~10.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 06:29 UTC-33.095, -69.004
23 MW
8
Remote area
2 detectionslast seen 2026-09-17 17:45 UTC-38.171, -70.427
23 MW
9
Remote area
3 detectionslast seen 2026-09-17 19:25 UTC-36.470, -71.851
23 MW
10
Remote area
13 detections~12.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 06:29 UTC-37.427, -69.169
22 MW

Plus 43 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.

Wildfires in other countries

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