Are there wildfires in Zambia right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 39207 active fire hotspots in Zambia over the last 3 days, including 84 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 Zambia Today

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

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

39207

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

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

29°C · 25% humidity

Air quality Very poor

PM2.5 53.7 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 83 · US AQI 135

Everyone should limit outdoor exertion. Keep windows closed if smoke is nearby.

The band above follows the European index, which averages particulates over 24 hours — so a sharp rise in this hour's PM2.5, as smoke passing overhead causes, shows up in the reading before it moves the band.

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.

1458 active fires in Zambia

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
5292 detections~447.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-13.649, 24.018
52906 MW
2
Remote area
3541 detections~795.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-12.514, 30.929
28515 MW
3
Remote area
760 detections~159.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-9.738, 31.637
9000 MW
4
Remote area
570 detections~138.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-9.796, 30.130
7979 MW
5
Remote area
744 detections~197.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-12.506, 26.857
7174 MW
6
Remote area
680 detections~210.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-13.191, 25.221
6375 MW
7
Remote area
441 detections~108.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:08 UTC-17.738, 33.389
6171 MW
8
Remote area
271 detections~60.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-8.842, 30.716
4003 MW
9
Remote area
239 detections~85.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-10.846, 22.093
3683 MW
10
Remote area
300 detections~51.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-09-19 12:10 UTC-14.027, 26.007
3652 MW

Plus 981 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

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