Are there wildfires in Zambia right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 5851 active fire hotspots in Zambia over the last 3 days, including 6 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.

5851

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

14 km/h from the E — carrying smoke towards the W.

36°C · 14% humidity

Air quality Moderate

PM2.5 12.1 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 56 · US AQI 50

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.

840 active fires in Zambia

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
97 detections~23.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:44 UTC-17.815, 27.946
1836 MW
2
Remote area
61 detections~28.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:44 UTC-15.047, 32.612
850 MW
3
Remote area
87 detections~19.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:44 UTC-15.609, 29.442
774 MW
4
Remote area
75 detections~32.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:44 UTC-16.390, 30.224
677 MW
5
Remote area
34 detections~6.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:44 UTC-14.141, 27.616
641 MW
6
Remote area
20 detections~13.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-01 12:04 UTC-14.656, 28.379
616 MW
7
Remote area
66 detections~40.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:46 UTC-8.334, 26.687
586 MW
8
Remote area
66 detections~9.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:44 UTC-12.098, 31.999
585 MW
9
Remote area
38 detections~42.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:46 UTC-9.888, 33.541
566 MW
10
Remote area
75 detections~25.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-11-02 11:44 UTC-15.975, 31.763
503 MW

Plus 955 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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