Is there a fire near Zanzibar right now?
Wildfires near Zanzibar
Updated
13 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 32 km ESE, 4 detections in the last 48 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 Zanzibar, Zanzibar Urban/West, Tanzania, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Africa/Dar_es_Salaam).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 13 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 32 km ESE 39 km ESE of Zanzibar
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 34 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 27 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- SE 9 km/h gusts 17 km/h, humidity 86%
Fires near Zanzibar right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 34 thermal hotspots in 13 separate clusters within 80 km of Zanzibar, Zanzibar Urban/West, Tanzania in the last 48 h. The closest is 32 km ESE of the city centre (39 km ESE of Zanzibar), with 4 detections and a peak fire radiative power of 15 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.
The largest nearby cluster by detections is 59 km WNW (62 km WNW of Zanzibar) with 6 detections; first seen Sat 2 pm and last seen Sat 2 pm local time.
Across Tanzania there are 938 fire clusters in the same window, 6 of them in Zanzibar Urban/West.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 km ESE of Zanzibar | 32 km ESE | 4 | 15 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 40 km NNE of Zanzibar | 40 km NNE | 1 | 7 MW | Sun 1:56 pm | Sun 1:56 pm |
| 46 km W of Zanzibar | 46 km W | 1 | 10 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 25 km NNW of Kibaha | 55 km SW | 5 | 6 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sun 1:56 pm |
| 21 km NNW of Dar es Salaam | 56 km S | 1 | 1 MW | Sun 1:18 am | Sun 1:18 am |
| 22 km N of Kibaha | 56 km SW | 1 | 4 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 43 km NNW of Kibaha | 56 km WSW | 1 | 5 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 62 km WNW of Zanzibar | 59 km WNW | 6 | 7 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 65 km W of Zanzibar | 65 km W | 1 | 6 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 6 km NE of Kibaha | 67 km SSW | 2 | 4 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 79 km WNW of Zanzibar | 68 km WNW | 6 | 15 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 63 km SSW of Tanga | 68 km NNW | 2 | 7 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
| 61 km NW of Kibaha | 73 km WSW | 3 | 27 MW | Sat 2:15 pm | Sat 2:15 pm |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Zanzibar is from the SE at 9 km/h (gusts 17 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the NW. Relative humidity is 86% and the temperature 26°C.
Zanzibar 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 Zanzibar 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.