Is there a fire near Kinshasa right now?
Wildfires near Kinshasa
Updated
16 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 28 km SSE, 4 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 1:38 pm local (2026-10-25 12:38 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Kinshasa, 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
- 16 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 28 km SSE 23 km S of Masina
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 59 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 40 MW moderate
Fires near Kinshasa right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 59 thermal hotspots in 16 separate clusters within 80 km of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last 48 h. The closest is 28 km SSE of the city centre (23 km S of Masina), with 4 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 7 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 46 km S (44 km S of Masina) with 15 detections; first seen Sat 1 pm and last seen Sun 1 pm local time.
Across Democratic Republic of the Congo there are 322 fire clusters in the same window, 8 of them in Kinshasa.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 km S of Masina | 28 km SSE | 4 | 7 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sun 1:38 pm |
| 39 km SW of Kinshasa | 28 km SW | 6 | 40 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sun 1:38 pm |
| 40 km SW of Masina | 40 km SSW | 1 | 5 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 32 km SE of Masina | 41 km SE | 6 | 15 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 39 km W of Brazzaville | 42 km W | 4 | 26 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 44 km WSW of Brazzaville | 45 km WSW | 1 | 5 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 44 km S of Masina | 46 km S | 15 | 33 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sun 1:38 pm |
| 58 km NNW of Inkisi | 62 km SW | 2 | 18 MW | Sun 1:38 pm | Sun 1:38 pm |
| 62 km WSW of Brazzaville | 63 km WSW | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 1:38 pm | Sun 1:38 pm |
| 38 km NE of Inkisi | 65 km S | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 62 km SSE of Masina | 68 km SSE | 3 | 16 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 47 km ENE of Inkisi | 68 km SSE | 5 | 13 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 40 km NNW of Inkisi | 72 km SW | 2 | 30 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 66 km SE of Masina | 74 km SE | 2 | 29 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
| 26 km ENE of Inkisi | 75 km S | 5 | 7 MW | Sat 1:55 pm | Sat 1:55 pm |
Smoke and wind
Current wind data was unavailable for this page; smoke generally drifts with the wind, so check local conditions.
Smoke shows up first as PM2.5 on air-quality monitors; the Kinshasa 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.