Are there wildfires in Ethiopia right now?

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 212 active fire hotspots in Ethiopia over the last 3 days. 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 Ethiopia Today

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

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

212

Active hotspots

High intensity

Time window

VIIRS

NASA sensor

LowMedHigh

Conditions at Remote area

14 km/h from the SE — carrying smoke towards the NW.

41°C · 20% humidity

Air quality Poor

PM2.5 30.6 µg/m³ this hour · EU AQI 75 · US AQI 91

Sensitive groups should reduce outdoor exertion. Others may notice irritation.

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.

22 active fires in Ethiopia

Neighbouring detections grouped into single incidents, largest first.

1
Remote area
53 detections~11.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC11.304, 41.522
1166 MW
2
Remote area
6 detections~8.2 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC12.695, 40.289
134 MW
3
Remote area
4 detections~10.5 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC4.913, 35.576
108 MW
4
Remote area
11 detections~19.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:19 UTC6.411, 36.014
103 MW
5
Remote area
13 detections~17.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC6.023, 36.140
82 MW
6
Remote area
8 detections~14.9 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC5.564, 37.737
51 MW
7
Remote area
7 detections~2.3 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:19 UTC8.126, 33.416
47 MW
8
Remote area
3 detectionslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC5.531, 34.332
37 MW
9
Remote area
3 detectionslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC6.340, 36.099
33 MW
10
Remote area
5 detections~11.7 km acrosslast seen 2026-08-05 11:17 UTC3.569, 34.290
32 MW

Plus 54 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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