Is there a fire near Hercules right now?
Wildfires near Hercules, CA
Updated
3 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 12 km SW, 1 detection in the last 24 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:56 am local (2026-10-25 09:56 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Hercules, California, United States, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (America/Los_Angeles).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 3 last 24 h
- Nearest fire
- 12 km SW 5 km WNW of Richmond
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 3 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 24 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 1 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- SSW 16 km/h gusts 28 km/h, humidity 67%
Fires near Hercules right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 3 thermal hotspots in 3 separate clusters within 80 km of Hercules, California, United States in the last 24 h. The closest is 12 km SW of the city centre (5 km WNW of Richmond), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 1 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
2 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.
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 United States there are 334 fire clusters in the same window, 35 of them in California.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km WNW of Richmond | 12 km SW | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 2:56 am | Sun 2:56 am |
| at Martinez | 15 km E | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 2:56 am | Sun 2:56 am |
| 4 km NW of Milpitas | 70 km SSE | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 2:56 am | Sun 2:56 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Hercules is from the SSW at 16 km/h (gusts 28 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the NNE. Relative humidity is 67% and the temperature 16°C.
Hercules 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 Hercules 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; in this state also check CAL FIRE (fire.ca.gov/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.