Is there a fire near Lilongwe right now?
Wildfires near Lilongwe
Updated
10 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 46 km ENE, 6 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 12:53 pm local (2026-10-25 10:53 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Blantyre).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 10 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 46 km ENE 49 km ENE of Lilongwe
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 45 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 11 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- ESE 7 km/h gusts 15 km/h, humidity 52%
Fires near Lilongwe right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 45 thermal hotspots in 10 separate clusters within 80 km of Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi in the last 48 h. The closest is 46 km ENE of the city centre (49 km ENE of Lilongwe), with 6 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 8 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 76 km NNE (89 km NNE of Lilongwe) with 23 detections; first seen Sat 1 pm and last seen Sun 12 pm local time.
Across Malawi there are 117 fire clusters in the same window, 20 of them in Central Region.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 km ENE of Lilongwe | 46 km ENE | 6 | 8 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sun 12:53 pm |
| 47 km NE of Lilongwe | 47 km NE | 1 | 7 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 51 km SW of Lilongwe | 51 km SW | 3 | 6 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 56 km SSW of Lilongwe | 56 km SSW | 1 | 3 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 60 km WNW of Lilongwe | 59 km WNW | 7 | 6 MW | Sun 12:20 am | Sun 2:03 am |
| 69 km NE of Lilongwe | 69 km NE | 1 | 2 MW | Sun 12:53 pm | Sun 12:53 pm |
| 69 km NNW of Lilongwe | 69 km NNW | 1 | 3 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 70 km WSW of Lilongwe | 70 km WSW | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 74 km ENE of Lilongwe | 74 km ENE | 1 | 9 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 89 km NNE of Lilongwe | 76 km NNE | 23 | 11 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sun 12:53 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Lilongwe is from the ESE at 7 km/h (gusts 15 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the WNW. Relative humidity is 52% and the temperature 23°C.
Lilongwe 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 Lilongwe 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.