Is there a fire near Erbil right now?
Wildfires near Erbil
Updated
38 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 12 km SSW, 2 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 Erbil, Iraq, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Asia/Baghdad).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 38 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 12 km SSW 12 km SSW of Erbil
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 244 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 52 MW moderate
- Wind now
- NE 3 km/h gusts 6 km/h, humidity 73%
Fires near Erbil right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 244 thermal hotspots in 38 separate clusters within 80 km of Erbil, Iraq in the last 48 h. The closest is 12 km SSW of the city centre (12 km SSW of Erbil), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 1 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
5 clusters are 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 46 km S (45 km WNW of Kirkuk) with 72 detections; first seen Sat 3 am and last seen Sun 12 pm local time.
Across Iraq there are 141 fire clusters in the same window, 21 of them in Erbil.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 km SSW of Erbil | 12 km SSW | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 2:46 am | Sun 2:46 am |
| 17 km WNW of Baḥarkah | 19 km NW | 5 | 2 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sun 1:05 am |
| 8 km NE of Baḥarkah | 21 km NNE | 2 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 20 km SSE of Xebat | 21 km WSW | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 11 km ENE of Khasnahzān | 23 km E | 2 | 26 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 9 km ENE of Xebat | 26 km WNW | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 13 km S of Xebat | 28 km W | 2 | 1 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sat 3:05 am |
| 32 km SW of Erbil | 30 km SW | 26 | 6 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:46 am |
| 32 km SSW of Erbil | 32 km SSW | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 9 km SSW of Xebat | 32 km W | 3 | 10 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 2:25 pm |
| 20 km NNW of Baḥarkah | 33 km N | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
| 24 km ESE of Khasnahzān | 34 km ESE | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 25 km S of Xebat | 35 km WSW | 7 | 2 MW | Sat 3:05 am | Sun 2:46 am |
| 41 km SSE of Erbil | 40 km SSE | 2 | 6 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
| 45 km SSW of Erbil | 43 km SSW | 3 | 6 MW | Sat 12:45 pm | Sat 12:45 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Erbil is from the NE at 3 km/h (gusts 6 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the SW. Relative humidity is 73% and the temperature 15°C.
Erbil 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 Erbil 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.