Is there a fire near Solwezi right now?
Wildfires near Solwezi
Updated
14 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 10 km N, 4 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:36 pm local (2026-10-25 12:36 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Solwezi, North-Western, Zambia, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Lusaka).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 14 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 10 km N 15 km N of Solwezi
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 24 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 16 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- E 10 km/h gusts 18 km/h, humidity 26%
Fires near Solwezi right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 24 thermal hotspots in 14 separate clusters within 80 km of Solwezi, North-Western, Zambia in the last 48 h. The closest is 10 km N of the city centre (15 km N of Solwezi), with 4 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 4 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.
Across Zambia there are 1,046 fire clusters in the same window, 50 of them in North-Western.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 km N of Solwezi | 10 km N | 4 | 4 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sun 2:03 am |
| 19 km WSW of Solwezi | 19 km WSW | 2 | 7 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 23 km E of Solwezi | 23 km E | 1 | 12 MW | Sun 2:36 pm | Sun 2:36 pm |
| 24 km SE of Solwezi | 24 km SE | 1 | 2 MW | Sun 2:36 pm | Sun 2:36 pm |
| 40 km NNE of Solwezi | 40 km NNE | 1 | 5 MW | Sun 2:36 pm | Sun 2:36 pm |
| 44 km SSE of Solwezi | 44 km SSE | 3 | 11 MW | Sat 2:53 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 50 km W of Solwezi | 50 km W | 2 | 2 MW | Sun 2:03 am | Sun 2:03 am |
| 52 km SSE of Solwezi | 52 km SSE | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 2:03 am | Sun 2:03 am |
| 57 km NNE of Solwezi | 57 km NNE | 1 | 7 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 61 km SE of Solwezi | 61 km SE | 1 | 4 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 42 km WSW of Kipushi | 64 km ENE | 2 | 7 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sat 1:15 pm |
| 67 km SSE of Solwezi | 67 km SSE | 3 | 16 MW | Sat 1:15 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
| 57 km SSW of Kipushi | 75 km E | 1 | 2 MW | Sun 2:03 am | Sun 2:03 am |
| 77 km S of Solwezi | 77 km S | 1 | 13 MW | Sun 2:34 pm | Sun 2:34 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Solwezi is from the E at 10 km/h (gusts 18 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the W. Relative humidity is 26% and the temperature 25°C.
Solwezi 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 Solwezi 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.