Are there wildfires in South Africa right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 501 active fire hotspots in South Africa over the last 3 days, including 1 high-intensity fire. 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 South Africa Today

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

Live active-fire map for South Africa from NASA FIRMS satellite data. Where fires are burning right now — updated hourly. Typical fire season: winter–spring.

501

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

15 km/h from the SE — carrying smoke towards the NW.

23°C · 36% humidity

Air quality Good

PM2.5 1.8 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 17 · US AQI 36

Air quality is good. No precautions needed.

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.

38 active fires in South Africa

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
41 detections~11 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 13:22 UTC-24.628, 21.689
1499 MW
2
Remote area
30 detections~10.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-22.940, 24.269
841 MW
3
Remote area
72 detections~14.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-22.333, 23.468
672 MW
4
Remote area
38 detections~40.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-22.613, 32.579
300 MW
5
Remote area
52 detections~32.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-22.336, 32.099
288 MW
6
Remote area
18 detections~3.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 13:22 UTC-24.820, 23.254
253 MW
7
Remote area
6 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-24.713, 24.534
200 MW
8
Remote area
34 detections~16.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-22.919, 31.009
187 MW
9
Remote area
23 detections~14.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-22.846, 32.846
173 MW
10
Remote area
9 detections~7.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:42 UTC-24.010, 20.737
157 MW

Plus 11 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

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