Is there a fire near Balombo right now?
Wildfires near Balombo
Updated
4 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 51 km SSE, 1 detection in the last 24 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 1:36 pm local (2026-10-25 12:36 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Balombo, Benguela, Angola, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Luanda).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 4 last 24 h
- Nearest fire
- 51 km SSE 51 km SSE of Balombo
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 4 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 24 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 18 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- NNE 1 km/h gusts 4 km/h, humidity 86%
Fires near Balombo right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 4 thermal hotspots in 4 separate clusters within 80 km of Balombo, Benguela, Angola in the last 24 h. The closest is 51 km SSE of the city centre (51 km SSE of Balombo), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 0 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.
Across Angola there are 207 fire clusters in the same window, 6 of them in Benguela.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 km SSE of Balombo | 51 km SSE | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 1:03 am | Sun 1:03 am |
| 66 km N of Balombo | 66 km N | 1 | 18 MW | Sun 1:36 pm | Sun 1:36 pm |
| 35 km SSE of Bocoio | 69 km SW | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 1:36 pm | Sun 1:36 pm |
| 78 km NW of Balombo | 78 km NW | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 1:36 pm | Sun 1:36 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Balombo is from the NNE at 1 km/h (gusts 4 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the SSW. Relative humidity is 86% and the temperature 18°C.
Balombo 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 Balombo 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.