Is there a fire near Columbus, GA right now?
Wildfires near Columbus, GA
Updated
4 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 19 km W, 1 detection in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 3:34 pm local (2026-10-25 19:34 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Columbus, Georgia, United States, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (America/New_York).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 4 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 19 km W 18 km W of Phenix City
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 11 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 23 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- ENE 18 km/h gusts 27 km/h, humidity 37%
Fires near Columbus, GA right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 11 thermal hotspots in 4 separate clusters within 80 km of Columbus, Georgia, United States in the last 48 h. The closest is 19 km W of the city centre (18 km W of Phenix City), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 2 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
1 cluster is 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 50 km NW (19 km NNE of Auburn) with 8 detections; first seen Sat 2 pm and last seen Sun 3 pm local time.
Across United States there are 573 fire clusters in the same window, 19 of them in Georgia.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 km W of Phenix City | 19 km W | 1 | 2 MW | Sat 2:11 pm | Sat 2:11 pm |
| 19 km NNE of Auburn | 50 km NW | 8 | 23 MW | Sat 2:11 pm | Sun 3:34 pm |
| 10 km NNE of Auburn | 51 km WNW | 1 | 6 MW | Sun 3:34 pm | Sun 3:34 pm |
| 48 km SSE of Peachtree City | 74 km NE | 1 | 2 MW | Sat 2:11 pm | Sat 2:11 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Columbus, GA is from the ENE at 18 km/h (gusts 27 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the WSW. Relative humidity is 37% and the temperature 23°C.
Columbus, GA 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 Columbus, GA 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.
InciWeb (inciweb.wildfire.gov) lists federal wildfire incidents. Evacuation orders come from county sheriffs and emergency management, often via Genasys Protect (protect.genasys.com) or local alert apps.
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.