Is there a fire near Harare right now?
Wildfires near Harare
Updated
18 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 37 km S, 1 detection in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:34 pm local (2026-10-25 12:34 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Harare, Zimbabwe, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Harare).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 18 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 37 km S 17 km S of Chitungwiza
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 44 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 61 MW moderate
- Wind now
- NE 12 km/h gusts 24 km/h, humidity 52%
Fires near Harare right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 44 thermal hotspots in 18 separate clusters within 80 km of Harare, Zimbabwe in the last 48 h. The closest is 37 km S of the city centre (17 km S of Chitungwiza), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 6 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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 79 km WNW (83 km WNW of Harare) with 9 detections; first seen Sat 1 pm and last seen Sun 2 pm local time.
Across Zimbabwe there are 204 fire clusters in the same window, 73 of them in Harare.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 km S of Chitungwiza | 37 km S | 1 | 6 MW | Sun 12:51 pm | Sun 12:51 pm |
| 26 km NE of Ruwa | 39 km ENE | 1 | 8 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 24 km SSE of Ruwa | 41 km SE | 2 | 61 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 41 km N of Harare | 41 km N | 1 | 5 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 30 km SW of Chitungwiza | 47 km SSW | 1 | 7 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 51 km WNW of Harare | 51 km WNW | 5 | 33 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 43 km NE of Ruwa | 54 km ENE | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 12:22 am | Sun 12:22 am |
| 41 km SE of Ruwa | 60 km SE | 3 | 5 MW | Sun 12:51 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 63 km N of Harare | 63 km N | 1 | 10 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 65 km NW of Harare | 65 km NW | 1 | 11 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 57 km NNE of Ruwa | 65 km NE | 4 | 8 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sun 12:22 am |
| 66 km NNE of Harare | 66 km NNE | 2 | 12 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 64 km W of Chitungwiza | 67 km WSW | 1 | 7 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 48 km SE of Chitungwiza | 67 km SSE | 3 | 16 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 69 km W of Harare | 68 km W | 4 | 6 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Harare is from the NE at 12 km/h (gusts 24 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the SW. Relative humidity is 52% and the temperature 22°C.
Harare 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 Harare 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.