Is there a fire near Port Moresby right now?
Wildfires near Port Moresby
Updated
12 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 24 km N, 4 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Mon 1:14 am local (2026-10-25 15:14 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Port Moresby, National Capital, Papua New Guinea, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Pacific/Port_Moresby).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 12 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 24 km N 28 km N of Port Moresby
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 101 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 130 MW intense
- Wind now
- WNW 2 km/h gusts 8 km/h, humidity 84%
Fires near Port Moresby right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 101 thermal hotspots in 12 separate clusters within 80 km of Port Moresby, National Capital, Papua New Guinea in the last 48 h. The closest is 24 km N of the city centre (28 km N of Port Moresby), with 4 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 10 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 28 km NE (37 km NE of Port Moresby) with 29 detections; first seen Sat 2 pm and last seen Mon 1 am local time.
Across Papua New Guinea there are 185 fire clusters in the same window, 185 of them in National Capital.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 km N of Port Moresby | 24 km N | 4 | 10 MW | Sat 2:27 pm | Sat 2:27 pm |
| 35 km E of Port Moresby | 27 km E | 16 | 25 MW | Sat 2:27 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 37 km NE of Port Moresby | 28 km NE | 29 | 13 MW | Sat 2:27 pm | Mon 1:14 am |
| 36 km NNW of Port Moresby | 36 km NNW | 1 | 5 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 45 km N of Port Moresby | 45 km N | 1 | 5 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 55 km NNE of Port Moresby | 51 km NNE | 18 | 14 MW | Sat 2:27 pm | Mon 1:14 am |
| 58 km ESE of Port Moresby | 55 km ESE | 6 | 6 MW | Sun 1:33 am | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 58 km NNW of Port Moresby | 58 km NNW | 1 | 5 MW | Sun 2:08 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 71 km NNW of Port Moresby | 65 km NNW | 15 | 130 MW | Sat 2:27 pm | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 68 km NNW of Port Moresby | 68 km NNW | 3 | 6 MW | Sun 1:31 am | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 76 km N of Port Moresby | 74 km N | 4 | 5 MW | Sun 1:31 am | Sun 2:08 pm |
| 75 km ESE of Port Moresby | 74 km ESE | 3 | 1 MW | Sun 1:33 am | Sun 1:33 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Port Moresby is from the WNW at 2 km/h (gusts 8 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the ESE. Relative humidity is 84% and the temperature 24°C.
Port Moresby 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 Port Moresby 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.
More for this area
Data: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS active fires), Open-Meteo, GeoNames.