Is there a fire near Baghdad right now?
Wildfires near Baghdad
Updated
10 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 16 km S, 2 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:06 pm local (2026-10-25 11:06 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Baghdad, Iraq, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Asia/Baghdad).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 10 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 16 km S 16 km NNE of Al Maḩmūdīyah
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 40 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 6 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- NNE 3 km/h gusts 6 km/h, humidity 40%
Fires near Baghdad right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 40 thermal hotspots in 10 separate clusters within 80 km of Baghdad, Iraq in the last 48 h. The closest is 16 km S of the city centre (16 km NNE of Al Maḩmūdīyah), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 1 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
3 clusters are within 25 km, close enough that smoke, ash or road closures may affect the city. Distances are measured from the city centre to the nearest detection, not to the fire's edge.
Every nearby cluster is low intensity (peak under 10 MW), which is typical of agricultural or garden burning, industrial heat sources such as steel works or flares, or small fires rather than a spreading wildfire.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 41 km ESE (40 km SE of Sadr City) with 14 detections; first seen Sat 3 am and last seen Sun 2 pm local time.
Across Iraq there are 141 fire clusters in the same window, 5 of them in Baghdad.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 km NNE of Al Maḩmūdīyah | 16 km S | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 1:08 am | Sun 1:08 am |
| 13 km SE of Sadr City | 16 km E | 9 | 5 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 12:26 pm |
| 17 km NE of Al Maḩmūdīyah | 18 km SSE | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 12:26 pm | Sun 12:26 pm |
| 34 km ESE of Sadr City | 36 km ESE | 5 | 4 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:48 am |
| 40 km SE of Sadr City | 41 km ESE | 14 | 6 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:06 pm |
| 9 km NNE of Nāḩiyat al Iskandarīyah | 42 km S | 2 | 3 MW | Sun 12:26 pm | Sun 12:26 pm |
| 7 km N of Al-Musayab | 56 km S | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 1:08 am | Sun 2:48 am |
| 10 km NNE of Karbala | 77 km SSW | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 2:48 am | Sun 2:48 am |
| 23 km ENE of Abu Gharaq | 79 km S | 3 | 2 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 43 km SSW of Sāmarrā’ | 79 km NW | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 12:26 pm | Sun 12:26 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Baghdad is from the NNE at 3 km/h (gusts 6 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the SSW. Relative humidity is 40% and the temperature 24°C.
Baghdad is not directly downwind of the nearest fire at the moment, though winds shift and plumes from larger fires can still reach the city.
Smoke shows up first as PM2.5 on air-quality monitors; the Baghdad air quality page has the live reading.
Evacuations and official information
GodsView shows satellite detections only. It does not know fire perimeters, containment or evacuation zones. Always follow evacuation orders from local authorities.
The Global Wildfire Information System, GWIS (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu), maps fire danger and burnt areas worldwide; evacuation orders come from national civil protection and local authorities.
About satellite fire detections
Satellite thermal hotspots are not all wildfires: gas flares, steel works, volcanoes and planned agricultural or prescribed burns show up too. VIIRS passes over most places about twice a day, so a fire can start or grow between passes, and thick smoke or cloud can hide one.
Fire radiative power (FRP) is the heat a fire gives off, in megawatts per pixel: under 10 MW is usually a small or smouldering fire, over 100 MW an intense flaming front.
Wildfires near other cities
More for this area
Data: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS active fires), Open-Meteo, GeoNames.