Is there a fire near Valparaiso, IN right now?
Wildfires near Valparaiso, IN
Updated
6 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 18 km NNW, 13 detections in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 3:13 am local (2026-10-25 08:13 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Valparaiso, Indiana, United States, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (America/Chicago).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 6 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 18 km NNW 7 km NNE of Portage
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 75 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 8 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- S 7 km/h gusts 9 km/h, humidity 47%
Fires near Valparaiso, IN right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 75 thermal hotspots in 6 separate clusters within 80 km of Valparaiso, Indiana, United States in the last 48 h. The closest is 18 km NNW of the city centre (7 km NNE of Portage), with 13 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 6 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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 27 km NW (8 km NW of Gary) with 54 detections; first seen Sat 1 am and last seen Sun 3 am local time.
Across United States there are 521 fire clusters in the same window, 16 of them in Indiana.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 km NNE of Portage | 18 km NNW | 13 | 6 MW | Sat 1:52 am | Sun 3:13 am |
| 5 km W of Hobart | 22 km WNW | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 3:33 am | Sat 3:33 am |
| 8 km NW of Gary | 27 km NW | 54 | 8 MW | Sat 1:52 am | Sun 3:13 am |
| 61 km S of Merrillville | 64 km SSW | 3 | 1 MW | Sat 3:33 am | Sun 3:13 am |
| 41 km SSW of Chicago Heights | 74 km WSW | 3 | 2 MW | Sat 3:33 am | Sun 3:13 am |
| 49 km SSW of Chicago Heights | 76 km SW | 1 | 1 MW | Sat 1:52 am | Sat 1:52 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Valparaiso, IN is from the S at 7 km/h (gusts 9 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the N. Relative humidity is 47% and the temperature 21°C.
Valparaiso, IN 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 Valparaiso, IN 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.