Are there wildfires in France right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 140 active fire hotspots in France 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 France Today

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

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

140

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at 58 km S of Arcachon, Gironde

6 km/h from the ESE — carrying smoke towards the WNW.

27°C · 38% humidity

Air quality Moderate

PM2.5 40.0 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 54 · US AQI 47

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

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.

11 active fires in France

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
58 km S of Arcachon, Gironde
9 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 12:46 UTC44.141, -1.137
224 MW
2
39 km NW of Corte, Corsica
13 detectionslast seen 2026-09-17 13:04 UTC42.527, 8.785
222 MW
3
105 km NW of Montpellier, Occitanie
4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 12:46 UTC44.388, 3.126
135 MW
4
39 km W of Paris, France
15 detections~14.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 02:41 UTC48.975, 1.853
113 MW
5
42 km NW of Marseille, Provence
41 detections~22.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 02:41 UTC43.442, 4.897
59 MW
6
28 km NE of Narbonne, Occitanie
2 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 12:44 UTC43.300, 3.307
22 MW
7
Remote area
12 detections~6.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 12:46 UTC51.036, 2.287
14 MW
8
Remote area
6 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 02:41 UTC49.351, 6.742
13 MW
9
56 km S of Arcachon, Gironde
5 detectionslast seen 2026-09-17 01:39 UTC44.188, -0.929
8 MW
10
Remote area
6 detections~8.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 01:00 UTC49.496, 5.969
6 MW

Plus 20 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 France

Provence Corsica Gironde

Wildfires in other countries

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