Is there a fire near Bangui right now?
Wildfires near Bangui
Updated
1 fire cluster within 80 km; nearest 35 km NNW, 1 detection in the last 24 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 1:40 pm local (2026-10-25 12:40 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Bangui, Central African Republic, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Bangui).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 1 last 24 h
- Nearest fire
- 35 km NNW 25 km NNW of Bégoua
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 1 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 24 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 4 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- N 2 km/h gusts 5 km/h, humidity 94%
Fires near Bangui right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 1 thermal hotspot in 1 separate cluster within 80 km of Bangui, Central African Republic in the last 24 h. The closest is 35 km NNW of the city centre (25 km NNW of Bégoua), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 4 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.
Across Central African Republic there are 5 fire clusters in the same window.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 km NNW of Bégoua | 35 km NNW | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 1:40 pm | Sun 1:40 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Bangui is from the N at 2 km/h (gusts 5 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the S. Relative humidity is 94% and the temperature 23°C.
Bangui 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 Bangui 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.