Is there a fire near Lusaka right now?
Wildfires near Lusaka
Updated
39 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 8 km WNW, 1 detection in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:34 pm local (2026-10-25 12:34 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Lusaka, Lusaka Province, Zambia, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Lusaka).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 39 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 8 km WNW 8 km WNW of Lusaka
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 153 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 37 MW moderate
- Wind now
- ESE 16 km/h gusts 34 km/h, humidity 41%
Fires near Lusaka right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 153 thermal hotspots in 39 separate clusters within 80 km of Lusaka, Lusaka Province, Zambia in the last 48 h. The closest is 8 km WNW of the city centre (8 km WNW of Lusaka), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 3 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
4 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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 43 km SSE (28 km ESE of Kafue) with 36 detections; first seen Sat 2 am and last seen Sun 2 pm local time.
Across Zambia there are 1,046 fire clusters in the same window, 80 of them in Lusaka Province.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 km WNW of Lusaka | 8 km WNW | 1 | 3 MW | Sat 2:51 pm | Sat 2:51 pm |
| 9 km S of Lusaka | 9 km S | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 2:03 am | Sun 2:03 am |
| 12 km WSW of Chunga | 13 km WNW | 1 | 2 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 17 km E of Lusaka | 17 km E | 3 | 7 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 20 km WNW of Chunga | 26 km WNW | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 2:03 am | Sun 2:03 am |
| 31 km ENE of Kafue | 29 km SSE | 3 | 4 MW | Sat 2:20 am | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 41 km E of Kafue | 42 km SE | 2 | 5 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 16 km WNW of Kafue | 42 km SW | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
| 38 km NE of Chunga | 43 km NE | 3 | 7 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 28 km ESE of Kafue | 43 km SSE | 36 | 37 MW | Sat 2:20 am | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 51 km ESE of Lusaka | 43 km ESE | 11 | 4 MW | Sat 2:20 am | Sun 2:03 am |
| 3 km WSW of Kafue | 43 km SSW | 1 | 6 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 38 km WNW of Chunga | 44 km WNW | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 29 km NNE of Mazabuka | 47 km WSW | 12 | 17 MW | Sat 2:51 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 51 km E of Lusaka | 51 km E | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:13 pm | Sat 1:13 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Lusaka is from the ESE at 16 km/h (gusts 34 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the WNW. Relative humidity is 41% and the temperature 25°C.
Lusaka 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 Lusaka 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.