Is there a fire near Baqubah right now?
Wildfires near Baqubah
Updated
10 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 48 km S, 9 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 Baqubah, Diyala, 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
- 48 km S 13 km SE of Sadr City
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 38 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 9 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- N 6 km/h gusts 10 km/h, humidity 41%
Fires near Baqubah right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 38 thermal hotspots in 10 separate clusters within 80 km of Baqubah, Diyala, Iraq in the last 48 h. The closest is 48 km S of the city centre (13 km SE of Sadr City), with 9 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 5 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 68 km SSE (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, 1 of them in Diyala.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 km SE of Sadr City | 48 km S | 9 | 5 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 12:26 pm |
| 52 km E of Sāmarrā’ | 61 km NNW | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 34 km ESE of Sadr City | 61 km SSE | 5 | 4 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:48 am |
| 16 km NNE of Al Maḩmūdīyah | 64 km SSW | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 1:08 am | Sun 1:08 am |
| 17 km NE of Al Maḩmūdīyah | 64 km S | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 12:26 pm | Sun 12:26 pm |
| 40 km SE of Sadr City | 68 km SSE | 14 | 6 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:06 pm |
| 17 km S of Sāmarrā’ | 71 km WNW | 2 | 6 MW | Sun 2:06 pm | Sun 2:06 pm |
| 50 km S of Ţūz Khūrmātū | 76 km N | 2 | 9 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
| 43 km SSW of Sāmarrā’ | 77 km W | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 12:26 pm | Sun 12:26 pm |
| 24 km NE of Sāmarrā’ | 80 km NW | 1 | 6 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Baqubah is from the N at 6 km/h (gusts 10 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the S. Relative humidity is 41% and the temperature 23°C.
Baqubah 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 Baqubah 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.