Is there a fire near Lake Forest right now?
Wildfires near Lake Forest, CA
Updated
16 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 8 km NNW, 3 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:16 pm local (2026-10-25 21:16 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Lake Forest, California, United States, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (America/Los_Angeles).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 16 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 8 km NNW 8 km NNW of Lake Forest
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 29 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 3 MW low-intensity
Fires near Lake Forest right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 29 thermal hotspots in 16 separate clusters within 80 km of Lake Forest, California, United States in the last 48 h. The closest is 8 km NNW of the city centre (8 km NNW of Lake Forest), with 3 detections 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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 53 km WNW (5 km ESE of Carson) with 4 detections; first seen Sat 3 am and last seen Sun 2 am local time.
Across United States there are 576 fire clusters in the same window, 48 of them in California.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 km NNW of Lake Forest | 8 km NNW | 3 | 1 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sun 2:58 am |
| 6 km S of Irvine | 13 km WSW | 2 | 1 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sun 2:58 am |
| 12 km SE of Corona | 26 km NE | 3 | 1 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sun 2:58 am |
| 5 km NNW of Yorba Linda | 35 km NNW | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sat 3:15 am |
| 8 km N of Eastvale | 45 km NNE | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 2:56 am | Sun 2:56 am |
| at Diamond Bar | 45 km NNW | 1 | 0 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sat 3:15 am |
| 5 km S of El Monte | 52 km NW | 3 | 3 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sun 2:16 pm |
| 5 km ESE of Carson | 53 km WNW | 4 | 1 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sun 2:58 am |
| at Azusa | 56 km NNW | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 2:56 am | Sun 2:56 am |
| at Montebello | 58 km NW | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 2:58 am | Sun 2:58 am |
| 6 km N of Fontana | 60 km NNE | 2 | 1 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sun 2:56 am |
| 10 km ENE of Moreno Valley | 63 km ENE | 1 | 0 MW | Sat 3:15 am | Sat 3:15 am |
| 5 km S of Torrance | 63 km WNW | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 2:58 am | Sun 2:58 am |
| at Torrance | 64 km WNW | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 2:58 am | Sun 2:58 am |
| 6 km SSW of Beaumont | 69 km ENE | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 2:58 am | Sun 2:58 am |
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 Lake Forest 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.