Is there a fire near Lubumbashi right now?
Wildfires near Lubumbashi
Updated
24 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 33 km WNW, 3 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:36 pm local (2026-10-25 12:36 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Lubumbashi).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 24 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 33 km WNW 25 km NNW of Kipushi
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 53 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 18 MW low-intensity
Fires near Lubumbashi right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 53 thermal hotspots in 24 separate clusters within 80 km of Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last 48 h. The closest is 33 km WNW of the city centre (25 km NNW of Kipushi), with 3 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 16 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 74 km SSE (22 km WNW of Chililabombwe) with 6 detections; first seen Sun 2 am and last seen Sun 2 am local time.
Across Democratic Republic of the Congo there are 322 fire clusters in the same window, 46 of them in Haut-Katanga.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 km NNW of Kipushi | 33 km WNW | 3 | 16 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 39 km SE of Lubumbashi | 34 km SE | 4 | 12 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sun 2:03 am |
| 39 km E of Lubumbashi | 37 km E | 2 | 4 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 27 km SSE of Kipushi | 37 km SSW | 4 | 11 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 37 km NW of Lubumbashi | 37 km NW | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 2:36 pm | Sun 2:36 pm |
| 15 km WSW of Kipushi | 41 km WSW | 2 | 14 MW | Sat 2:53 pm | Sun 2:36 pm |
| 24 km S of Kipushi | 43 km SW | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 2:36 pm | Sun 2:36 pm |
| 46 km NW of Lubumbashi | 46 km NW | 1 | 5 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 28 km WNW of Kipushi | 49 km W | 2 | 7 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 35 km NNW of Chililabombwe | 52 km SSE | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 36 km NW of Chililabombwe | 53 km SSE | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 56 km NNW of Lubumbashi | 53 km NNW | 4 | 8 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sun 2:01 am |
| 55 km E of Lubumbashi | 55 km E | 2 | 13 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 59 km N of Lubumbashi | 59 km N | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 51 km SE of Likasi | 60 km NW | 1 | 5 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 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 Lubumbashi 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.