Live fire map of South Africa
Live fire map of South Africa
Live fire map for South Africa, updated continuously from NASA satellite hotspot detections. The country has two opposite fire seasons: the winter and spring veld fires of the interior Highveld and grassland, roughly May to October, and the hot, dry summer fynbos fires of the Western Cape, roughly November to April. See where fires are burning right now, how intense they are and the danger level in each province, down to district and local-municipality level.
⚠️ The fires shown are automatic satellite heat detections from NASA FIRMS. They are not verified on the ground and are not 100% accurate — they can include false alarms (industrial heat, gas flares, sun glint) or miss small or cloud-covered fires. Do not use this map for safety decisions; always follow official emergency sources.
Significant fires
- Free State✓ Confirmed42 MW
- Phumelela Local Municipality✓ Confirmed24 MW
- Phumelela Local Municipality✓ Confirmed29 MW
- Phumelela Local Municipality✓ Confirmed16 MW
- Free State✓ Confirmed54 MW
- Mookgopong Local Municipality✓ Confirmed158 MW
- Lephalale Local Municipality✓ Confirmed168 MW
- Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality✓ Confirmed49 MW
- Makhado Local Municipality✓ Confirmed46 MW
- Greater Giyani Local Municipality✓ Confirmed295 MW
- Govan Mbeki Local Municipality✓ Confirmed26 MW
- Thembisile Hani Local Municipality✓ Confirmed33 MW
- Mpumalanga✓ Confirmed55 MW
- Mpumalanga✓ Confirmed20 MW
- Mbombela✓ Confirmed25 MW
Recent days
What you can track here
Fires by region
Live wildfire tracking for all 9 regions of South Africa, updated continuously — open a region for its fire map and fire-danger level:
| Regions | Active fires | Fire danger |
|---|---|---|
| Western Cape | 0 | — |
| Eastern Cape | 0 | — |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 1 | — |
| Northern Cape | 0 | — |
| Free State | 6 | — |
| North West | 3 | — |
| Gauteng | 1 | — |
| Mpumalanga | 15 | — |
| Limpopo | 21 | — |
Main towns covered: Cape Town · Stellenbosch · Paarl · Worcester · George · Mossel Bay · Gqeberha · East London · Mthatha · Makhanda · Kariega · Durban · Pietermaritzburg · Newcastle · Richards Bay · Ladysmith · Kimberley · Upington · Springbok · Kuruman · De Aar · Bloemfontein · Welkom · Bethlehem · Kroonstad · Sasolburg · Mahikeng · Rustenburg · Klerksdorp · Potchefstroom
About this fire map
Fire Map Today shows veld and wildfires across South Africa in one live view, built from NASA satellite heat detections. Nearby detections of the same fire are grouped into a single fire event with its own page, and every day is archived so you can look back over the season. It republishes public data and is not an official warning service.
How this map works
Zoom out for the national picture; zoom in and the individual satellite detections appear. Fires are shaded by intensity and each region is coloured by its fire-danger level. Satellites pass several times a day and cannot see through thick cloud or smoke, so a real fire can be missed for hours and some heat sources are not wildfires — always check official sources.
Where the data comes from
Active-fire detections come from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS and MODIS sensors); where an AFIS (CSIR) feed is available it is shown alongside. Province, district and municipality borders come from geoBoundaries. In an emergency call 10177 for an ambulance or 112 from a mobile, and follow your local fire protection association and municipal fire service.
AFIS — Advanced Fire Information System (CSIR) · NASA FIRMS
Staying safe near wildfires
If you are near an active fire, do not rely on this map for safety decisions — satellite detections can be delayed for hours by cloud, smoke or the timing of the satellite pass, and some heat sources are not wildfires. Always follow your official emergency service and local warnings, prepare an emergency plan, and leave early if you are in a high fire-danger area. This is a free public information service, not an emergency-alerting system.
Fire season in South Africa
South Africa has two opposite fire seasons. The interior — the Highveld, the grassland provinces and the Karoo — burns in the dry winter and spring, roughly May to October, when the veld cures and berg winds drive runaway grass fires. The Western Cape burns in the hot, dry summer instead, roughly November to April, when fire-prone fynbos and strong south-easterly wind combine. That is why almost every month of the year is a fire month somewhere in the country.
| Area | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Interior (Highveld, Free State, Karoo) | May–Oct | Dry winter and spring; cured veld and berg winds. |
| Western Cape | Nov–Apr | Hot, dry summer; fire-prone fynbos and strong wind. |
| Lowveld and KwaZulu-Natal | Jun–Sep | Dry winter bushveld and grassland fires. |
Official fire agencies in South Africa
- Working on Fire — National integrated fire management and firefighting programme
- AFIS (CSIR) — Advanced Fire Information System: satellite fire monitoring for southern Africa
- Emergency services — Ambulance and fire (112 from a mobile) Phone: 10177
