People
Villages, neighbourhoods, hospitals, schools, care homes and campsites in the fire's expected direction, with the time within which it could reach them.
WATCH FIRE · FOR PROFESSIONALS
Analyse, follow and explain wildfires
Watch Fire brings satellite observations, weather, terrain and what lies around a fire together in one view. Accessible to everyone who needs to know quickly what is burning, where it is heading and what is at stake.Where is the risk high now?
The fires the risk analysis currently rates high or very high, the most serious first.
- Very high
Nabij Bol’shaya Martynovka, Russia
- Very high
Nabij Rassvet, Russia
- Very high
Nabij Rassvet, Russia
- Very high
Nabij Proletarsk, Russia
- Very high
Nabij Dubovka, Russia
- High
Palangka Raya, Indonesia
Which risks do we assess?
Nature
Protected areas and threatened plant and animal species nearby, weighted more in the breeding season.
Air
Smoke and fine dust drifting towards inhabited places.
Infrastructure
Power plants, substations, fuel stations, industry, railways and airports: risk of outages, toxic smoke or explosions.
Weather
Wind, dryness and slope and, for intense fires, the chance of a fire cloud or fire thunderstorm.
Climate
The estimated CO₂ emissions and peatlands that can smoulder for weeks.
After the fire
Erosion and mudflows on burned slopes when heavy rain comes.
Fire clouds and fire thunderstorms
A fire cloud (pyrocumulus) forms above a very hot fire: the heat drives air, smoke and water vapour upwards until a cloud forms. When it grows into a thundercloud it is called a fire thunderstorm (pyrocumulonimbus).
Why it matters for the response
- Sudden, strong gusts in every direction make the fire unpredictable.
- Lightning can start new fires at a distance.
- Sparks and embers fly far ahead of the fire.
- Smoke rises high and spreads over great distances.
- The rising air draws fresh air in towards the fire at ground level, like bellows: the fire gets more oxygen, burns more fiercely and can spread faster and more erratically.
How Watch Fire shows it
- Only for intense fires, above which a fire cloud can form.
- As low, elevated or high, for the next 24 hours.
- Updated twice a day from the state of the air above the fire.
- A high chance also raises the fire's weather risk. You see it in the risk panel on the map, in the fire dossier and in the list above.
It is an indication, not a certain forecast: even with a high chance, a fire cloud may not form. More about fire clouds in the FAQ
How to read the risk
Levels
NoneLowElevatedHighVery high
Per theme and for the fire as a whole. The level weighs how intense the fire is, what lies in its expected path and whether it is still burning.
Spread zones
On the map you see where the fire could be in 3, 6 and 12 hours, based on wind, dryness, slope and the ground.
Example
High · 🏠 People: a village 4 km downwind, reachable in about 5 hours.
Who it is for
Fire services and crisis teams
See where it is burning, in which direction a fire is likely to spread in the coming hours and which villages, roads and facilities lie nearby.
Municipalities and regions
Keep an eye on fires in your area, get an alert as soon as a fire is seen nearby and share an overview with officials and communications.
Media and newsrooms
Current figures per country and a dossier per fire with the key facts, for fast and reliable reporting.
Research and education
Follow fires worldwide with their risk analysis, and use the explanations of fire behaviour and fire clouds for analysis or teaching.
What you can use
Live map with risk analysis
Click a fire for the expected spread over 3, 6 and 12 hours, the wind, dryness and slope, threatened places, nature and infrastructure and, for intense fires, the chance of a fire cloud.
Go to the mapPrintable fire dossier
Every fire on the map has a one-page dossier with the key facts and the risk analysis. Print it or save it as a PDF for a briefing or report.
Alerts and following
Follow a fire or set an email alert for a place and distance. You hear when a fire grows, comes closer or appears to be out.
How it worksWhat the data can and cannot do
- Satellites pass over an area a few times a day. A new fire therefore usually appears within a few hours, not straight away.
- Small fires and fires under clouds or thick smoke are sometimes not seen.
- The location is accurate to a few hundred metres; the area is an estimate.
- Fixed heat sources such as industry and gas flares are filtered out as far as possible, but an occasional false alarm remains possible.
- The risk analysis is an indication, not an official forecast. Always follow the instructions of the emergency services and the authorities.
Watch Fire in the media
Work with us
Would you like to use Watch Fire in your organisation, connect the map to your systems or do you have a question about the data? Get in touch.
Get in touch