Are there wildfires in Western Australia right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 944 active fire hotspots in Western Australia over the last 3 days, including 37 high-intensity fires. 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 Western Australia Today

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

Live active-fire map for Western Australia from NASA FIRMS satellite data. Where fires are burning right now — updated hourly. Typical fire season: December–March.

944

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

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

32°C · 28% humidity

Air quality Fair

PM2.5 15.8 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 40 · US AQI 57

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.

32 active fires in Western Australia

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
169 detections~31.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 05:42 UTC-17.175, 122.831
6373 MW
2
Remote area
232 detections~20.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 05:23 UTC-15.542, 124.541
2863 MW
3
Remote area
37 detections~15.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 07:16 UTC-34.896, 116.991
2269 MW
4
65 km NW of Perth, Western Australia
29 detections~6.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 05:38 UTC-31.415, 115.600
435 MW
5
Remote area
45 detections~14.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 16:52 UTC-17.312, 122.953
398 MW
6
Remote area
86 detections~7.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 05:23 UTC-18.398, 128.282
383 MW
7
Remote area
44 detections~6.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 16:52 UTC-20.506, 123.795
354 MW
8
Remote area
30 detections~6.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-17 17:09 UTC-17.464, 123.606
348 MW
9
Remote area
14 detections~10.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 16:52 UTC-16.852, 122.839
338 MW
10
Remote area
16 detections~3.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-18 16:52 UTC-17.848, 123.744
295 MW

Plus 24 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 Australia

All of Australia New South Wales Victoria Queensland

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