Is there a fire near Ladysmith right now?
Wildfires near Ladysmith
Updated
7 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 28 km ENE, 1 detection in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:29 pm local (2026-10-25 12:29 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Johannesburg).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 7 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 28 km ENE 28 km ENE of Ladysmith
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 10 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 10 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- S 7 km/h gusts 23 km/h, humidity 83%
Fires near Ladysmith right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 10 thermal hotspots in 7 separate clusters within 80 km of Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in the last 48 h. The closest is 28 km ENE of the city centre (28 km ENE of Ladysmith), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 3 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.
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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 71 km WSW (71 km WSW of Ladysmith) with 3 detections; first seen Sun 12 am and last seen Sun 12 am local time.
Across South Africa there are 175 fire clusters in the same window, 32 of them in KwaZulu-Natal.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 km ENE of Ladysmith | 28 km ENE | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 2:29 pm | Sun 2:29 pm |
| 38 km ENE of Ladysmith | 38 km ENE | 1 | 10 MW | Sat 1:08 pm | Sat 1:08 pm |
| 38 km WNW of Ladysmith | 38 km WNW | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 2:49 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| 45 km NNE of Ladysmith | 45 km NNE | 1 | 6 MW | Sat 2:49 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| 22 km SSW of Newcastle | 69 km N | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 2:07 am | Sun 2:07 am |
| 71 km WSW of Ladysmith | 71 km WSW | 3 | 3 MW | Sun 12:25 am | Sun 12:25 am |
| 74 km WNW of Ladysmith | 74 km WNW | 1 | 3 MW | Sat 2:49 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Ladysmith is from the S at 7 km/h (gusts 23 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the N. Relative humidity is 83% and the temperature 20°C.
Ladysmith 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 Ladysmith 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.