Is there a fire near Francistown right now?
Wildfires near Francistown
Updated
3 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 37 km E, 4 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sat 2:51 pm local (2026-10-24 12:51 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Francistown, City of Francistown, Botswana, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Gaborone).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 3 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 37 km E 37 km E of Francistown
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 11 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 13 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- ESE 17 km/h gusts 30 km/h, humidity 30%
Fires near Francistown right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 11 thermal hotspots in 3 separate clusters within 80 km of Francistown, City of Francistown, Botswana in the last 48 h. The closest is 37 km E of the city centre (37 km E of Francistown), with 4 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 13 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.
Across Botswana there are 36 fire clusters in the same window, 15 of them in City of Francistown.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 km E of Francistown | 37 km E | 4 | 13 MW | Sat 2:51 pm | Sat 2:51 pm |
| 39 km WNW of Francistown | 38 km WNW | 4 | 13 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sat 2:51 pm |
| 70 km N of Francistown | 69 km N | 3 | 10 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 2:51 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Francistown is from the ESE at 17 km/h (gusts 30 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the WNW. Relative humidity is 30% and the temperature 28°C.
Francistown 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 Francistown 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.