Is there a fire near Topeka right now?
Wildfires near Topeka, KS
Updated
3 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 38 km E, 2 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sat 2:55 pm local (2026-10-24 19:55 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Topeka, Kansas, United States, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (America/Chicago).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 3 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 38 km E 10 km N of Lawrence
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 4 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 4 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- SSE 9 km/h gusts 18 km/h, humidity 53%
Fires near Topeka right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 4 thermal hotspots in 3 separate clusters within 80 km of Topeka, Kansas, United States in the last 48 h. The closest is 38 km E of the city centre (10 km N of Lawrence), with 2 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 4 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 United States there are 576 fire clusters in the same window, 9 of them in Kansas.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 km N of Lawrence | 38 km E | 2 | 4 MW | Sat 2:55 pm | Sat 2:55 pm |
| 31 km SSE of Lawrence | 61 km SE | 1 | 3 MW | Sat 2:53 pm | Sat 2:53 pm |
| 19 km NW of Olathe | 63 km E | 1 | 3 MW | Sat 2:55 pm | Sat 2:55 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Topeka is from the SSE at 9 km/h (gusts 18 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the NNW. Relative humidity is 53% and the temperature 20°C.
Topeka 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 Topeka 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.
InciWeb (inciweb.wildfire.gov) lists federal wildfire incidents. Evacuation orders come from county sheriffs and emergency management, often via Genasys Protect (protect.genasys.com) or local alert apps.
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.