Is there a fire near Vryheid right now?
Wildfires near Vryheid
Updated
9 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 38 km SSW, 1 detection in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Sun 2:29 pm local (2026-10-25 12:29 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Johannesburg).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 9 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 38 km SSW 38 km SSW of Vryheid
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 15 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 6 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- NNE 5 km/h gusts 12 km/h, humidity 81%
Fires near Vryheid right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 15 thermal hotspots in 9 separate clusters within 80 km of Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in the last 48 h. The closest is 38 km SSW of the city centre (38 km SSW of Vryheid), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 3 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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 73 km WNW (20 km NE of Newcastle) with 5 detections; first seen Sat 1 pm and last seen Sat 2 pm local time.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 km SSW of Vryheid | 38 km SSW | 1 | 3 MW | Sat 2:49 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| 52 km SSE of Vryheid | 52 km SSE | 2 | 4 MW | Sat 1:08 pm | Sat 1:08 pm |
| 54 km SSW of Vryheid | 54 km SSW | 1 | 2 MW | Sat 1:08 pm | Sat 1:08 pm |
| 44 km SE of Newcastle | 55 km WSW | 2 | 0 MW | Sun 12:25 am | Sun 12:25 am |
| 58 km ESE of Vryheid | 58 km ESE | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:08 pm | Sat 1:08 pm |
| 68 km NE of Vryheid | 68 km NE | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sat 1:10 pm |
| 20 km NE of Newcastle | 73 km WNW | 5 | 6 MW | Sat 1:10 pm | Sat 2:49 pm |
| 76 km S of Vryheid | 76 km S | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 2:07 am | Sun 2:07 am |
| 76 km S of Vryheid | 76 km S | 1 | 6 MW | Sun 2:29 pm | Sun 2:29 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Vryheid is from the NNE at 5 km/h (gusts 12 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the SSW. Relative humidity is 81% and the temperature 19°C.
Vryheid 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 Vryheid 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.