Is there a fire near Rustenburg right now?
Wildfires near Rustenburg
Updated
6 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 17 km E, 2 detections in the last 24 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 Rustenburg, North West, South Africa, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Johannesburg).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 6 last 24 h
- Nearest fire
- 17 km E 17 km E of Rustenburg
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 15 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 24 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 14 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- SSE 2 km/h gusts 6 km/h, humidity 43%
Fires near Rustenburg right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 15 thermal hotspots in 6 separate clusters within 80 km of Rustenburg, North West, South Africa in the last 24 h. The closest is 17 km E of the city centre (17 km E of Rustenburg), with 2 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 73 km SE (4 km ENE of Krugersdorp) with 4 detections; first seen Sun 2 am and last seen Sun 2 am local time.
Across South Africa there are 94 fire clusters in the same window, 10 of them in North West.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 km E of Rustenburg | 17 km E | 2 | 10 MW | Sun 2:05 am | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 18 km WSW of Brits | 38 km E | 2 | 9 MW | Sun 2:05 am | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 22 km WNW of Brits | 39 km ENE | 3 | 3 MW | Sun 2:05 am | Sun 2:05 am |
| 49 km NNE of Rustenburg | 49 km NNE | 1 | 5 MW | Sun 2:32 pm | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 15 km E of Brits | 69 km E | 3 | 14 MW | Sun 2:32 pm | Sun 2:32 pm |
| 4 km ENE of Krugersdorp | 73 km SE | 4 | 2 MW | Sun 2:05 am | Sun 2:05 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Rustenburg is from the SSE at 2 km/h (gusts 6 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the NNW. Relative humidity is 43% and the temperature 21°C.
Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg 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.