Is there a fire near Baḥarkah right now?
Wildfires near Baḥarkah
Updated
36 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 8 km NE, 2 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:08 pm local (2026-10-25 11:08 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Baḥarkah, Erbil, Iraq, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Asia/Baghdad).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 36 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 8 km NE 8 km NE of Baḥarkah
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 185 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 52 MW moderate
- Wind now
- E 7 km/h gusts 12 km/h, humidity 56%
Fires near Baḥarkah right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 185 thermal hotspots in 36 separate clusters within 80 km of Baḥarkah, Erbil, Iraq in the last 48 h. The closest is 8 km NE of the city centre (8 km NE of Baḥarkah), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 1 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
5 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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 60 km S (45 km WNW of Kirkuk) with 72 detections; first seen Sat 3 am and last seen Sun 12 pm local time.
Across Iraq there are 141 fire clusters in the same window, 21 of them in Erbil.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 km NE of Baḥarkah | 8 km NE | 2 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 17 km WNW of Baḥarkah | 14 km WNW | 5 | 2 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sun 1:05 am |
| 20 km NNW of Baḥarkah | 20 km NNW | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
| 11 km ENE of Khasnahzān | 23 km ESE | 2 | 26 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 9 km ENE of Xebat | 25 km W | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 12 km SSW of Erbil | 26 km SSW | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 2:46 am | Sun 2:46 am |
| 20 km SSE of Xebat | 31 km SW | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 20 km SE of 'Ākra | 31 km N | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
| 13 km S of Xebat | 35 km WSW | 2 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 35 km NNE of Baḥarkah | 35 km NNE | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
| 9 km SSW of Xebat | 37 km WSW | 3 | 10 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 2:25 pm |
| 25 km SSW of 'Ākra | 38 km NW | 2 | 2 MW | Sun 1:05 am | Sun 2:46 am |
| 24 km ESE of Khasnahzān | 39 km SE | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 32 km SW of Erbil | 42 km SSW | 26 | 6 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:46 am |
| 25 km S of Xebat | 44 km SW | 7 | 2 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:46 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Baḥarkah is from the E at 7 km/h (gusts 12 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the W. Relative humidity is 56% and the temperature 18°C.
Baḥarkah 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 Baḥarkah 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.