Are there wildfires in United States right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 147 active fire hotspots in the United States 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 United States Today

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

Live active-fire map for the United States from NASA FIRMS satellite data. Where fires are burning right now — updated hourly. Typical fire season: summer–fall.

147

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at 56 km W of Ellensburg, Washington

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

3°C · 89% humidity

Air quality Moderate

PM2.5 16.0 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 41 · US AQI 73

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.

19 active fires in United States

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
56 km W of Ellensburg, Washington
6 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:45 UTC47.094, -121.273
13 MW
2
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 09:09 UTC25.578, -99.935
12 MW
3
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 09:09 UTC26.051, -98.217
10 MW
4
Remote area
15 detections~27.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 09:06 UTC31.969, -103.829
9 MW
5
Remote area
4 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 07:22 UTC44.334, -71.040
7 MW
6
46 km NW of The Dalles, Oregon
5 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:45 UTC45.835, -121.656
5 MW
7
Remote area
3 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 09:06 UTC31.281, -100.186
5 MW
8
56 km N of San Bernardino, California
3 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:47 UTC34.607, -117.336
5 MW
9
48 km E of Reno, Nevada
3 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 10:47 UTC39.619, -119.263
4 MW
10
76 km S of Midland, Texas
3 detectionslast seen 2026-11-02 09:06 UTC31.363, -101.777
4 MW

Plus 58 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 United States

California Texas Oregon Arizona Colorado Montana Idaho Florida Nevada New Mexico Washington Utah Wyoming

Wildfires in other countries

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