Wildfires map: three critical regions accelerating right now

The wildfire map displays active fires detected by satellite thermal sensors and reported by ground-based fire agencies worldwide. Each fire is plotted with its current perimeter (where available), estimated acreage, containment percentage, and threat level. The map distinguishes between wildfires threatening populated areas and fires burning in remote wilderness with minimal human impact.

Wildfire data integrates with our global disaster tracker, where fires meeting severity thresholds appear alongside other natural disasters. The live world event map provides broader context — during peak fire season, you can see wildfire clusters alongside weather events and other hazards that compound fire risk.

Human activity causes the majority of wildfires worldwide. Arson, unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, agricultural burning that escapes control, equipment sparks from power lines and machinery, and fireworks all ignite vegetation. In the United States, human-caused fires account for approximately 85% of wildfires and have tripled the length of the fire season compared to lightning-caused fires alone.

Lightning is the primary natural ignition source. Dry lightning — lightning from storms that produce little or no rain — is particularly effective at starting fires because the lack of precipitation allows ignition to take hold. In boreal forests of Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, lightning-caused fires burn vast areas during summer months, sometimes consuming millions of hectares in a single season.

Volcanic eruptions, hot ash, and lava flows can also ignite wildfires, creating compound disasters. Regardless of ignition source, the fire's behavior after ignition is controlled by three factors: fuel (type and moisture content of vegetation), weather (temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction), and topography (slope, aspect, terrain features). Understanding these factors is critical for predicting fire spread.

Fire severity on this map is assessed using multiple criteria: fire size, rate of spread, proximity to populated areas, evacuation orders in effect, structures threatened or destroyed, and firefighting resources deployed. A 10,000-hectare fire in uninhabited wilderness may be rated lower than a 500-hectare fire advancing toward a subdivision, because human impact drives severity classification.

Containment percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter is bounded by control lines — firebreaks, roads, rivers, or lines cleared by firefighters. A fire at 0% containment is uncontrolled along its entire perimeter. Containment does not mean the fire is extinguished — a 100% contained fire still burns within its perimeter and requires monitoring until fully suppressed. These figures update as firefighting efforts progress.

The global risk index incorporates wildfire activity as one of its components. During major fire seasons, wildfire contribution to the risk score increases, reflecting the compounding effects of smoke on air quality, evacuations displacing populations, and economic losses from destroyed property and infrastructure.

Wildfire seasons follow predictable patterns driven by climate and vegetation cycles. In the Western United States, fire season traditionally runs from June through October, peaking in late summer when fuels are driest. However, year-round fire risk has become the norm in Southern California, where Santa Ana winds can drive destructive fires even in December and January.

Australia's bushfire season runs from October through March, with the most dangerous conditions in December and January. The 2019–2020 "Black Summer" burned over 18 million hectares, killed 33 people and an estimated 3 billion animals, and produced smoke that circled the globe. In the Amazon basin, fire season coincides with the dry season from July through October, with agricultural clearing driving most ignitions.

Boreal forests in Siberia and Canada experience their fire season from May through September. These fires are often remote and allowed to burn, but in extreme years they produce smoke that degrades air quality across entire continents. The 2023 Canadian wildfire season burned a record 18.5 million hectares and caused hazardous air quality across the eastern United States. Global wildfire activity is visible on our world event map alongside other tracked events, with fire events feeding into the disaster tracker when they meet severity thresholds.

Wildfire smoke is one of the most far-reaching impacts of active fires, affecting air quality hundreds or thousands of miles from the fire itself. Smoke plumes carry fine particulate matter (PM2.5) — particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. During major fire events, PM2.5 levels in downwind cities can exceed World Health Organization safe limits by 10 to 50 times.

The 2023 Canadian wildfire season demonstrated the continental reach of wildfire smoke: New York City recorded its worst air quality in recorded history as smoke from Quebec fires turned skies orange. Smoke from the 2019–2020 Australian Black Summer fires circumnavigated the globe. Tracking wildfire smoke patterns alongside active fire locations provides a more complete picture of wildfire impact beyond the immediate burn zone.

Our wildfires map shows active fire locations in near real-time, which can be used alongside external smoke forecasts from agencies like NOAA's HRRR Smoke model and the EPA's AirNow network. When fires cross severity thresholds, they appear on our disaster tracker, and smoke-related health impacts contribute to the global risk index assessment.

Track wildfires today in specific states and regions with our dedicated wildfire trackers. Some of the most fire-prone areas in the United States include:

Western United States: California (year-round fire risk, Santa Ana winds), Oregon (Cascades and eastern dry forests), Washington (eastern Washington grasslands and forests), Colorado (Front Range wildland-urban interface), Utah (Wasatch Front wildland-urban interface), Idaho (panhandle forests and Snake River Plain rangeland), Montana (western forests and eastern grassland fires), and Wyoming (sagebrush-steppe and wind-driven mountain fires).

Other high-risk regions: Montana, Idaho, and Arizona experience significant fire seasons during summer months. Alaska's boreal forests can burn extensively in hot, dry years. In the Southeast, prescribed burns and wildfires in pine forests are common from March through May.

See the live world map for global wildfire coverage, or check the disaster tracker for how active fires fit into the broader natural disaster picture.