Are there wildfires in New South Wales right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 1031 active fire hotspots in New South Wales 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 New South Wales Today

Name: Active Wildfires in New South Wales
Creator: NASA
Published: 2024-01-01
License: https://www.nasa.gov/open/
Keywords: wildfires, fires new south wales, NASA FIRMS, active fire map, VIIRS

Live active-fire map for New South Wales from NASA FIRMS satellite data. Where fires are burning right now — updated hourly. Typical fire season: October–February.

1031

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

6 km/h from the SSE — carrying smoke towards the NNW.

12°C · 37% humidity

Air quality Moderate

PM2.5 19.0 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 42 · US AQI 56

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.

80 active fires in New South Wales

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
115 detections~6.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 03:38 UTC-28.926, 151.813
788 MW
2
Remote area
62 detections~15.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 03:38 UTC-29.816, 152.540
431 MW
3
Remote area
8 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 03:38 UTC-29.823, 151.188
354 MW
4
Remote area
28 detections~2.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 03:38 UTC-29.858, 152.416
269 MW
5
Remote area
10 detections~2.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-17 15:31 UTC-28.832, 152.072
256 MW
6
Remote area
62 detections~5.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 03:38 UTC-28.969, 152.487
222 MW
7
Remote area
21 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 05:18 UTC-31.597, 147.020
198 MW
8
Remote area
19 detections~6.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 03:38 UTC-28.506, 152.203
195 MW
9
Remote area
27 detectionslast seen 2026-09-19 03:36 UTC-33.250, 149.327
178 MW
10
Remote area
9 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 05:33 UTC-36.439, 144.794
143 MW

Plus 136 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.

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