Is there a fire near Pretoria right now?
Wildfires near Pretoria
Updated
24 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 12 km N, 1 detection 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 Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Johannesburg).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 24 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 12 km N 12 km N of Pretoria
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 90 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 52 MW moderate
- Wind now
- W 2 km/h gusts 5 km/h, humidity 21%
Fires near Pretoria right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 90 thermal hotspots in 24 separate clusters within 80 km of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa in the last 48 h. The closest is 12 km N of the city centre (12 km N of Pretoria), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 6 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 54 km S (4 km E of Alberton) with 11 detections; first seen Sat 2 am and last seen Sun 2 am local time.
Across South Africa there are 175 fire clusters in the same window, 20 of them in Gauteng.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 km N of Pretoria | 12 km N | 1 | 6 MW | Sat 2:49 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| 16 km E of Centurion | 20 km SE | 7 | 9 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| 9 km SE of Soshanguve | 24 km N | 2 | 3 MW | Sun 2:32 pm | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 10 km ENE of Thembisa | 24 km SSE | 3 | 1 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sun 2:05 am |
| 15 km E of Brits | 28 km WNW | 3 | 14 MW | Sun 2:32 pm | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 7 km ESE of Brits | 36 km WNW | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sat 2:24 am |
| 11 km NNW of Benoni | 40 km SSE | 6 | 17 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sat 2:24 am |
| 23 km NW of Mabopane | 50 km NW | 1 | 2 MW | Sat 2:49 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| 4 km E of Krugersdorp | 52 km SW | 5 | 26 MW | Sat 2:49 pm | Sun 2:05 am |
| 4 km E of Alberton | 54 km S | 11 | 5 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sun 2:05 am |
| 23 km SW of Somaroboro | 56 km ENE | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 2:32 pm | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 19 km WSW of Brits | 57 km W | 5 | 9 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 48 km WNW of Emalahleni | 57 km E | 2 | 6 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| at Roodepoort | 58 km SSW | 2 | 1 MW | Sat 2:24 am | Sat 2:24 am |
| 20 km SSW of Somaroboro | 58 km ENE | 3 | 9 MW | Sun 2:05 am | Sun 2:32 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Pretoria is from the W at 2 km/h (gusts 5 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the E. Relative humidity is 21% and the temperature 27°C.
Pretoria 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 Pretoria 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.