Is there a fire near Tongaat right now?
Wildfires near Tongaat
Updated
3 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 27 km SW, 2 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:07 am local (2026-10-25 00:07 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Johannesburg).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 3 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 27 km SW 5 km WSW of Ntuzuma
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 6 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 9 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- SW 17 km/h gusts 32 km/h, humidity 80%
Fires near Tongaat right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 6 thermal hotspots in 3 separate clusters within 80 km of Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in the last 48 h. The closest is 27 km SW of the city centre (5 km WSW of Ntuzuma), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 1 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
None of the clusters is within 25 km of the centre, so the city itself is not in the immediate fire area, but smoke can travel hundreds of kilometres.
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 South Africa there are 175 fire clusters in the same window, 32 of them in KwaZulu-Natal.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km WSW of Ntuzuma | 27 km SW | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 12:25 am | Sun 12:25 am |
| 31 km NNE of KwaDukuza | 60 km NNE | 2 | 1 MW | Sun 12:25 am | Sun 2:07 am |
| 47 km NW of KwaDukuza | 63 km NNW | 2 | 9 MW | Sat 1:08 pm | Sat 1:08 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Tongaat is from the SW at 17 km/h (gusts 32 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the NE. Relative humidity is 80% and the temperature 21°C.
Tongaat 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 Tongaat 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.