Wildfires in the North Cascades Today
Live active-fire map for the North Cascades from NASA FIRMS satellite data. Where fires are burning right now — updated hourly. Typical fire season: July–September.
7 km/h from the SE — carrying smoke towards the NW.
20°C · 36% humidity
Air quality Fair
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 36 · US AQI 45
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.
5 active fires in the North Cascades
Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.
- 1116 MW25 km W of Chelan, Washington6 detectionslast seen 2026-09-09 20:42 UTC47.885, -120.348
- 280 MW50 km W of Winthrop, Washington21 detections~4 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-09 22:23 UTC48.364, -120.847
- 360 MW30 km N of Leavenworth, Washington10 detections~11.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-09 20:42 UTC47.861, -120.567
- 423 MW77 km NW of Winthrop, Washington4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-09 10:56 UTC48.786, -121.127
- 58 MW51 km NW of Chelan, Washington4 detections~5.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-09 20:42 UTC48.061, -120.616
Plus 1 smaller heat detection — 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.