Are there wildfires in China right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 1731 active fire hotspots in China 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 China Today

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

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

1731

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

17 km/h from the E — carrying smoke towards the W.

1°C · 52% humidity

Air quality Fair

PM2.5 14.6 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 39 · US AQI 73

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.

149 active fires in China

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
228 detections~75.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 03:34 UTC46.499, 132.219
1651 MW
2
Remote area
46 detections~20.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 05:16 UTC45.824, 127.381
485 MW
3
Remote area
18 detections~8.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 05:14 UTC40.368, 111.552
299 MW
4
Remote area
56 detections~21.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 05:12 UTC33.254, 118.081
218 MW
5
Remote area
16 detections~13.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 05:16 UTC47.021, 126.505
207 MW
6
Remote area
24 detections~38.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 08:32 UTC25.486, 76.764
186 MW
7
70 km SW of Lahore, Pakistan
31 detections~40.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 08:34 UTC31.260, 73.683
183 MW
8
Remote area
23 detections~55.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 05:14 UTC39.473, 113.154
155 MW
9
Remote area
18 detections~21.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 05:16 UTC46.349, 127.743
144 MW
10
Remote area
5 detections~10.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 05:16 UTC46.865, 126.490
124 MW

Plus 458 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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