Is there a fire near Polokwane right now?
Wildfires near Polokwane
Updated
7 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 5 km SSW, 2 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:32 pm local (2026-10-25 12:32 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Polokwane, Limpopo, 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
- 5 km SSW 5 km SSW of Polokwane
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 99 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 22 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- NNE 13 km/h gusts 25 km/h, humidity 51%
Fires near Polokwane right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 99 thermal hotspots in 7 separate clusters within 80 km of Polokwane, Limpopo, South Africa in the last 48 h. The closest is 5 km SSW of the city centre (5 km SSW of Polokwane), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 0 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
1 cluster is 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 45 km SW (10 km ESE of Mokopane) with 67 detections; first seen Sat 2 am and last seen Sun 2 pm local time.
Across South Africa there are 175 fire clusters in the same window, 35 of them in Limpopo.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km SSW of Polokwane | 5 km SSW | 2 | 0 MW | Sun 2:05 am | Sun 2:05 am |
| 27 km NNW of Polokwane | 27 km NNW | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sat 1:10 pm |
| 39 km WNW of Polokwane | 39 km WNW | 1 | 7 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sat 1:10 pm |
| 10 km ESE of Mokopane | 45 km SW | 67 | 22 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 41 km N of Mokopane | 46 km W | 2 | 2 MW | Sat 2:22 am | Sat 2:22 am |
| 63 km SE of Polokwane | 60 km SE | 6 | 2 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sun 2:05 am |
| 67 km NW of Polokwane | 66 km NW | 20 | 22 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sun 2:32 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Polokwane is from the NNE at 13 km/h (gusts 25 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the SSW. Relative humidity is 51% and the temperature 22°C.
Polokwane 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 Polokwane 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.