Are there wildfires in China right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 2911 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.

2911

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

4 km/h from the WSW — carrying smoke towards the ENE.

16°C · 79% humidity

Air quality Moderate

PM2.5 19.6 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 43 · US AQI 78

People with asthma or heart conditions may want to limit long spells outdoors.

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.

312 active fires in China

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
29 detections~8.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 05:38 UTC38.537, 110.095
201 MW
2
Remote area
56 detections~7.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 07:20 UTC43.684, 95.016
166 MW
3
Remote area
11 detections~3 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 07:41 UTC49.909, 80.819
148 MW
4
Remote area
58 detections~19.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 20:02 UTC23.744, 86.399
146 MW
5
Remote area
17 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 18:13 UTC45.754, 115.725
90 MW
6
Remote area
3 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 07:22 UTC48.489, 82.926
90 MW
7
Remote area
10 detections~7.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-17 18:34 UTC46.574, 114.266
86 MW
8
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 09:02 UTC43.354, 77.296
82 MW
9
Remote area
18 detections~6.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 21:38 UTC46.825, 74.940
81 MW
10
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 07:22 UTC47.605, 81.317
81 MW

Plus 689 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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