Is there a fire near Balikpapan right now?
Wildfires near Balikpapan
Updated
7 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 42 km NNE, 1 detection in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 1:53 pm local (2026-10-25 05:53 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Asia/Makassar).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 7 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 42 km NNE 30 km E of Nusantara
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 14 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 9 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- N 8 km/h gusts 14 km/h, humidity 93%
Fires near Balikpapan right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 14 thermal hotspots in 7 separate clusters within 80 km of Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia in the last 48 h. The closest is 42 km NNE of the city centre (30 km E of Nusantara), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 3 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
None of the clusters is within 25 km of the centre, so the city itself is not in the immediate fire area, but smoke can travel hundreds of kilometres.
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 74 km NE (18 km SE of Loa Janan) with 6 detections; first seen Sun 1 am and last seen Sun 1 pm local time.
Across Indonesia there are 919 fire clusters in the same window, 46 of them in East Kalimantan.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 km E of Nusantara | 42 km NNE | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 1:53 pm | Sun 1:53 pm |
| 25 km WSW of Nusantara | 43 km WNW | 2 | 5 MW | Sun 1:53 pm | Sun 1:53 pm |
| 34 km WSW of Nusantara | 44 km WNW | 2 | 9 MW | Sun 1:53 pm | Sun 1:53 pm |
| 32 km ENE of Nusantara | 49 km NNE | 1 | 2 MW | Sun 1:53 pm | Sun 1:53 pm |
| 55 km W of Balikpapan | 55 km W | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 1:53 pm | Sun 1:53 pm |
| 30 km WSW of Loa Janan | 66 km N | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 1:53 pm | Sun 1:53 pm |
| 18 km SE of Loa Janan | 74 km NE | 6 | 4 MW | Sun 1:11 am | Sun 1:53 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Balikpapan is from the N at 8 km/h (gusts 14 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the S. Relative humidity is 93% and the temperature 25°C.
Balikpapan is roughly downwind of the nearest fire, so smoke and haze are likely; check the air quality page before spending time outdoors.
Smoke shows up first as PM2.5 on air-quality monitors; the Balikpapan 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.