Are there wildfires in Ethiopia right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 2059 active fire hotspots in Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia Today

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

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

2059

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

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

30°C · 14% humidity

Air quality Moderate

PM2.5 23.9 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 45 · US AQI 70

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.

179 active fires in Ethiopia

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
227 detections~97.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:53 UTC12.444, 35.241
2370 MW
2
Remote area
72 detections~52.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:51 UTC8.990, 33.139
662 MW
3
Remote area
53 detections~29.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:53 UTC10.791, 34.259
657 MW
4
Remote area
44 detections~42.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:51 UTC8.321, 34.495
521 MW
5
Remote area
61 detections~49.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:53 UTC11.165, 34.906
506 MW
6
Remote area
27 detections~8.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-01 12:08 UTC6.328, 33.808
467 MW
7
Remote area
33 detections~41.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:51 UTC7.131, 33.528
417 MW
8
Remote area
15 detections~13.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:51 UTC8.372, 34.241
381 MW
9
Remote area
44 detections~31.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:51 UTC9.249, 33.088
379 MW
10
Remote area
41 detections~43.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:51 UTC6.747, 33.457
370 MW

Plus 165 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

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