Are there wildfires in British Columbia right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 3243 active fire hotspots in British Columbia over the last 3 days, including 80 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 British Columbia Today

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

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

3243

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

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

21°C · 23% humidity

Air quality Extremely poor

PM2.5 297.1 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 266 · US AQI 357

Avoid outdoor exertion. Stay indoors with windows closed where possible.

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.

34 active fires in British Columbia

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
656 detections~42.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 10:11 UTC48.807, -119.768
14904 MW
2
Remote area
448 detections~42.4 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:49 UTC51.281, -122.337
9686 MW
3
Remote area
554 detections~27.8 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:49 UTC51.339, -121.987
8364 MW
4
Remote area
248 detections~45.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:49 UTC51.201, -122.694
2979 MW
5
Remote area
360 detections~44.6 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:49 UTC51.267, -121.416
1789 MW
6
Remote area
208 detections~32.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:49 UTC51.015, -121.702
1750 MW
7
Remote area
131 detections~21.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 10:11 UTC48.918, -120.596
1399 MW
8
Remote area
167 detections~26.1 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:49 UTC49.820, -121.274
1220 MW
9
21 km N of Kelowna, British Columbia
67 detections~5 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:49 UTC50.079, -119.531
629 MW
10
Remote area
44 detections~4.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 10:11 UTC51.547, -116.833
385 MW

Plus 17 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.

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