Is there a fire near Kikwit right now?
Wildfires near Kikwit
Updated
4 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 22 km ENE, 2 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sat 1:55 pm local (2026-10-24 12:55 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Kikwit, Kwilu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Kinshasa).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 4 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 22 km ENE 22 km ENE of Kikwit
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 7 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 12 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- W 0 km/h gusts 4 km/h, humidity 84%
Fires near Kikwit right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 7 thermal hotspots in 4 separate clusters within 80 km of Kikwit, Kwilu, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last 48 h. The closest is 22 km ENE of the city centre (22 km ENE of Kikwit), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 8 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.
Across Democratic Republic of the Congo there are 322 fire clusters in the same window, 80 of them in Kwilu.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 km ENE of Kikwit | 22 km ENE | 2 | 8 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 40 km NNW of Kikwit | 40 km NNW | 1 | 8 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 54 km NE of Kikwit | 53 km NE | 2 | 12 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 56 km NW of Kikwit | 56 km NW | 2 | 7 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Kikwit is from the W at 0 km/h (gusts 4 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the E. Relative humidity is 84% and the temperature 21°C.
Kikwit 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 Kikwit 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.