Bay Area Fire Map: Live Wildfires Near You
Is there a fire near you right now? Type your town into the map or tap your county. You get a one-line answer, the distance and direction to the closest fire, and the wind where you live. The map covers Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and Monterey counties, refreshes every 5 minutes and is free.
As of November 13 at 5:48 PM Pacific time, no active wildfires are reported within 50 miles of the Bay Area.
How to check for fires near your home
- Type your town in the search box, or tap your county under the answer.
- Read the first line. It tells you if any active wildfire is within 50 miles, and how far away the closest one is.
- Look for an Upwind label. It means the wind right now is blowing from that fire toward you, which is how smoke and embers travel.
- Tap any dot on the map for its size, containment and start date.
- Sign up for your county emergency alerts. Follow official evacuation orders right away, and call 911 if you see flames.
What the map shows
- Red dots are active wildfires reported by fire agencies.
- Amber rings are planned burns that crews set on purpose to clear brush.
- Orange dots are heat spots NASA satellites saw in the last 48 hours. Brighter means more recent.
- Gray dots and shapes are contained fires and the areas they burned.
- Blue arrows show which way the wind is blowing and how fast, in miles per hour.
What do the radar rings mean?
The copper rings mark 5, 25 and 50 miles around the town you pick. Use them to judge distance at a glance. Embers can land a mile or more ahead of a wildfire, so a fire 25 miles away with the wind blowing your way deserves more attention than a closer one with the wind blowing away from you. That is why the map labels fires that are upwind of you.
Where the data comes from and how often it updates
- Fires and perimeters: the National Interagency Fire Center, which collects incident reports from CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies.
- Heat signals: NASA FIRMS, from the VIIRS sensors on the NOAA-20, NOAA-21 and Suomi NPP satellites.
- Wind, humidity and temperature: National Weather Service airport weather stations around the Bay Area.
- Updates: the map checks every source every 5 minutes. A brand new fire can take time to appear in public data, so never wait for the map if you see smoke or flames.
Fire map questions
Is there a fire near me right now?
Type your town into the search box on the map, or tap your county. The panel answers in one line: whether any active wildfire is reported within 50 miles, how far away the closest one is and which direction it lies. It also lists satellite heat signals and the wind where you are.
Is the FireRoofs Fire Map free?
Yes. The map is free to use, with no sign-up and no app to install. It works on a phone or a computer. If you allow your location, it starts centered on you. If not, it starts on the Bay Area and you can search any town.
How often does the fire map update?
The map checks its sources every 5 minutes and redraws on its own while the page is open. Fire reports come in as crews file them. NASA satellites pass over a few times a day, so a heat signal can show up a few hours after the satellite saw it.
Why is there a heat signal with no fire name?
A heat signal is a spot a NASA satellite measured as much hotter than the ground around it. Many are wildfires, but farm burns, planned burns and industrial flares show up too. When one appears near your home with no reported fire, check local news and your county alerts.
What is a planned burn?
A planned burn, also called a prescribed fire, is set on purpose by fire crews to clear brush in safe weather. Crews manage it from start to finish. You may see smoke, and the burn shows on the map with an amber ring so you can tell it apart from a wildfire.
What area does the map cover?
The map covers Northern and Central California, from around Chico down to San Luis Obispo County, and from the coast to the Sierra Nevada. You can jump to Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa or Monterey County with one tap, or search a town by name.
Should I use this map to decide when to evacuate?
No. Use it to stay aware, not to make evacuation decisions. A new fire can take time to appear in public data. Sign up for your county emergency alerts, follow official evacuation orders right away, and call 911 if you see flames or smoke with no known cause.
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