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

Question 1

Are there wildfires in South Africa right now?

Accepted Answer

NASA's FIRMS satellites detected 2680 active fire hotspots in South Africa over the last 3 days, including 21 high-intensity fires. The map on this page shows their exact locations, updated hourly.

Question 2

How does NASA detect wildfires?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

What does fire intensity (FRP) mean?

Accepted Answer

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 South Africa Today

277 active fires in South Africa

About this wildfire map

Wildfires in other countries