Is there a fire near Durban right now?
Wildfires near Durban
Updated
1 fire cluster within 80 km; nearest 16 km NW, 2 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 12:25 am local (2026-10-24 22:25 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Johannesburg).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 1 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 16 km NW 5 km WSW of Ntuzuma
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 2 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 1 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- WSW 11 km/h gusts 26 km/h, humidity 77%
Fires near Durban right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 2 thermal hotspots in 1 separate cluster within 80 km of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in the last 48 h. The closest is 16 km NW of the city centre (5 km WSW of Ntuzuma), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 1 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.
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 South Africa there are 175 fire clusters in the same window, 32 of them in KwaZulu-Natal.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km WSW of Ntuzuma | 16 km NW | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 12:25 am | Sun 12:25 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Durban is from the WSW at 11 km/h (gusts 26 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the ENE. Relative humidity is 77% and the temperature 20°C.
Durban 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 Durban 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.