Is there a fire near Sumbawanga right now?
Wildfires near Sumbawanga
Updated
5 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 16 km E, 3 detections in the last 24 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 1:56 pm local (2026-10-25 10:56 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Sumbawanga, Rukwa, Tanzania, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Dar_es_Salaam).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 5 last 24 h
- Nearest fire
- 16 km E 16 km E of Sumbawanga
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 10 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 24 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 8 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- E 18 km/h gusts 33 km/h, humidity 68%
Fires near Sumbawanga right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 10 thermal hotspots in 5 separate clusters within 80 km of Sumbawanga, Rukwa, Tanzania in the last 24 h. The closest is 16 km E of the city centre (16 km E of Sumbawanga), with 3 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 2 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
2 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.
Every nearby cluster is low intensity (peak under 10 MW), which is typical of agricultural or garden burning, industrial heat sources such as steel works or flares, or small fires rather than a spreading wildfire.
Across Tanzania there are 545 fire clusters in the same window, 27 of them in Rukwa.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 km E of Sumbawanga | 16 km E | 3 | 2 MW | Sun 3:01 am | Sun 3:01 am |
| 21 km ENE of Sumbawanga | 21 km ENE | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 3:01 am | Sun 3:01 am |
| 37 km ESE of Sumbawanga | 37 km ESE | 1 | 8 MW | Sun 1:56 pm | Sun 1:56 pm |
| 42 km SE of Sumbawanga | 41 km SE | 2 | 4 MW | Sun 1:56 pm | Sun 1:56 pm |
| 69 km NNW of Sumbawanga | 69 km NNW | 3 | 3 MW | Sun 3:01 am | Sun 3:01 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Sumbawanga is from the E at 18 km/h (gusts 33 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the W. Relative humidity is 68% and the temperature 17°C.
Sumbawanga is roughly downwind of the nearest fire, so smoke and haze are likely; check the air quality page before spending time outdoors.
Smoke shows up first as PM2.5 on air-quality monitors; the Sumbawanga 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.