Active wildfire hotspots

A free map of active wildfire hotspots detected by NASA satellites over the past day. Each point is a thermal detection, coloured by its fire radiative power, so the most intense fires glow brightest and burning regions light up across the map. Tap any hotspot for its fire power, brightness temperature and the time it was seen. Data comes from NASA FIRMS and refreshes through the day.

How to use the wildfire map

1
Read the map

Each glowing point is a satellite heat detection from the past day. Brighter, hotter colours are more intense fires; clusters show active fire regions.

2
Tap a hotspot

Click any point for its fire radiative power, brightness temperature, the time it was observed and whether it was a day or night pass.

3
Find the strongest

Tap “Strongest” to fly to the most intense fire on the map right now, or read the total number of hotspots.

4
Check near you

Press “Near me” to centre the map on your location and see fire activity around you.

See where the world is burning right now

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Fire power
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Loading fire hotspots…

Source: NASA FIRMS (MODIS, near real-time). Satellite heat detections from the last ~24 h, refreshed a few times a day — not live and not an emergency source. Map © OpenStreetMap & CARTO.

What makes it special

A global map of active-fire hotspots from NASA satellites, with burning regions lighting up by intensity
Each point coloured by fire radiative power, so the strongest fires stand out at a glance
Tap any hotspot for its fire power in megawatts, brightness temperature and observation time
Jump to the single strongest fire, or centre the map on your own location
Honest about the data — thermal detections from the last 24 hours, not a live or emergency feed
Runs in your browser with no sign-up; the data is served through our own servers so it loads reliably

Frequently asked questions

Where does the fire data come from?

From NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System), using MODIS satellite active-fire detections. The data is in the public domain and covers the whole globe; we fetch the near-real-time global feed, drop low-confidence detections and show the rest on the map.

Is this a live, real-time fire map?

Not quite. Satellites pass over each spot a few times a day, so the data shows detections from roughly the last 24 hours and refreshes several times a day — not second-by-second. It is an overview of recent fire activity, not a live feed.

What exactly is a “hotspot”?

A hotspot is a pixel where the satellite detected significant heat. It usually means a fire, but it can also be a gas flare, industrial heat source or volcano, and it marks a detection, not a fire perimeter. This map is for information and curiosity — it is not an emergency or evacuation tool. Follow your local fire and emergency services for safety.

What do the colours mean?

Each point is coloured by fire radiative power (FRP) — a measure of how much energy the fire is releasing, in megawatts. Yellow is lower power, orange and red are stronger, and near-white marks the most intense detections. The legend shows the scale.

Does it cover Russia?

Yes. Satellite detection is global and station-independent, so Russia is fully covered — in the summer wildfire season the taiga of Siberia (Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk) often lights up with thousands of hotspots.

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Who is this tool for?
🎓 Students 📚 Educators & Teachers
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