Are there wildfires in Sicily right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 92 active fire hotspots in Sicily 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 Sicily Today

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

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

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at 44 km SW of Palermo, Sicily

6 km/h from the S — carrying smoke towards the N.

22°C · 79% humidity

Air quality Fair

PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 25 · US AQI 35

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.

14 active fires in Sicily

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
44 km SW of Palermo, Sicily
7 detections~4.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 01:22 UTC37.786, 13.080
75 MW
2
31 km SW of Palermo, Sicily
10 detections~4.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 12:42 UTC37.864, 13.208
75 MW
3
21 km N of Agrigento, Sicily
3 detectionslast seen 2026-09-17 13:01 UTC37.500, 13.594
66 MW
4
21 km NE of Agrigento, Sicily
8 detections~4.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 12:42 UTC37.439, 13.745
56 MW
5
39 km SE of Trapani, Sicily
5 detections~4.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 12:42 UTC37.751, 12.819
55 MW
6
12 km SW of Messina, Sicily
3 detectionslast seen 2026-09-17 13:01 UTC38.095, 15.495
25 MW
7
20 km NW of Caltanissetta, Sicily
2 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 12:42 UTC37.626, 13.908
21 MW
8
14 km W of Caltanissetta, Sicily
3 detections~13 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 12:42 UTC37.464, 13.904
20 MW
9
38 km N of Agrigento, Sicily
4 detectionslast seen 2026-09-18 12:42 UTC37.646, 13.654
20 MW
10
27 km N of Catania, Sicily
12 detections~8.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 01:22 UTC37.747, 15.039
18 MW

Plus 16 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.

More of Italy

All of Italy Sardinia Calabria Tuscany Lazio Puglia

Wildfires in other countries

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