Europe Wildfire Map — Live Forest Fire Tracker
Active fire & thermal hotspots across Europe from NASA VIIRS & MODIS satellites · the data EFFIS/Copernicus uses · filter by country · 24h / 48h / 7-day
Window
Sensor
Layers
Country
Burning area
● LIVE
Last 48 hours
—
—
active-fire hotspot
burnt-area perimeter
fire risk (FWI, today)
EFFIS / Copernicus live fire data
What you see: live fire data straight from the EU’s EFFIS (European Forest Fire Information System / Copernicus EMS) — the same service and layers used on forest-fire.emergency.copernicus.eu. Orange points are active-fire hotspots (NASA MODIS/VIIRS, detected within hours); red shapes are burnt-area perimeters mapped by EFFIS. Clouds can hide fires and hotspots also catch volcanoes/industrial heat, so treat it as guidance, not an official alert. Live per-country counts load from the EFFIS feed when your browser allows it. Not for emergency use — for official alerts see your national civil-protection service.
Live Forest Fires in Europe
This free Europe wildfire map shows where forest fires and other heat sources are burning right now, using near‑real‑time active-fire detections from NASA's VIIRS (375 m) and MODIS (1 km) satellite instruments. It is the same underlying data that the European Commission's EFFIS (European Forest Fire Information System), part of Copernicus, uses to monitor wildfires across the continent. Summers increasingly bring major fire outbreaks to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and the Balkans — this map lets you watch them unfold from space.
How to use the map
Use the Window buttons to show fires detected in the last 24 hours, 48 hours or 7 days. Switch between VIIRS (finer 375 m resolution, catches smaller fires) and MODIS (1 km, longer heritage). Pick a country from the dropdown to fly straight to it, and press Fullscreen for a wall-display view. Brighter yellow-to-red pixels indicate more intense thermal signals.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the wildfire data come from?
The map loads directly from the EU's EFFIS (European Forest Fire Information System / Copernicus EMS) services at
maps.effis.emergency.copernicus.eu — the same layers the official EFFIS Current Situation Viewer uses. It combines NASA MODIS/VIIRS active-fire hotspots with EFFIS burnt-area perimeters and the Fire Weather Index danger forecast, updated several times a day, and needs no API key.How do I find wildfires burning right now near me or near my holiday destination?
Open the map, set the Window to 24 or 48 hours, and either pan to your area or pick a country from the Country filter (Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece and more). Orange dots are active-fire hotspots detected in the last hours; red shapes are burnt-area perimeters. Use the Burning area pick list to jump straight to the largest current fires in that country. Always confirm with your local civil-protection service before making travel or safety decisions.
How current / real-time is the map?
Fire-detecting satellites (NASA's Terra, Aqua and the Suomi-NPP / NOAA VIIRS platforms) pass over Europe several times a day, and EFFIS publishes detections within roughly 2–3 hours. So it is near-real-time, not a live video feed — a fire that started in the last hour may not appear until the next satellite overpass, and heavy cloud can delay detection.
What is the difference between active-fire hotspots and burnt areas?
Hotspots are points where a satellite sensor detected intense heat during an overpass — they show where something is burning right now. Burnt-area perimeters are the mapped outlines of land already scorched by a fire, so they show the extent and damage. A big wildfire usually shows as a cluster of hotspots surrounded by a growing burnt-area polygon.
What is EFFIS and Copernicus?
EFFIS (European Forest Fire Information System) is run by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre as part of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. It monitors wildfires across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, providing active-fire detection, burnt-area mapping, fire-danger forecasts and post-fire damage assessment used by national civil-protection agencies.
What is the Fire Weather Index (FWI) / fire risk layer?
The Fire Weather Index is a fire-danger rating calculated from temperature, humidity, wind and rainfall. Turn on the Fire risk layer to see today's forecast shaded from green (low danger) through yellow to deep red (very high / extreme danger). High FWI means conditions where a spark can spread fast — it does not mean a fire is burning, only that the risk is elevated.
What are MODIS and VIIRS?
They are the satellite instruments that detect fires. MODIS (on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites) has a 1 km resolution and a long record since 2000. VIIRS (on Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20/21) has a finer 375 m resolution, so it catches smaller and cooler fires. Use the Sensor toggle to switch between them.
Does every red dot or hotspot mean a wildfire?
No. The hotspot layer shows thermal anomalies — overwhelmingly wildfires, but also volcanoes, gas flares, industrial furnaces and agricultural stubble burning. Conversely, cloud cover, tree canopy or a fire between satellite passes can hide a real fire. Treat the map as guidance, not an official confirmation.
Why can't I see a fire I know is burning?
A few reasons: the satellite may not have passed over since it started, clouds or smoke can block the infrared sensor, the fire may be too small or cool to trigger a detection, or it is between the 24/48-hour window you selected. Widen the Window to 7 days and zoom in to check.
How accurate and reliable is the fire data? Can I use it in an emergency?
The detections are scientifically robust and used by emergency services, but they are not a safety-of-life tool. Positions can be off by a few hundred metres, small fires are missed, and updates lag the real world by hours. In an emergency call your national emergency number (112 in the EU) and follow official civil-protection instructions — never rely on this map to decide whether to evacuate.
Which European countries have the most wildfires?
The Mediterranean countries consistently record the largest burnt areas — Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and increasingly France, Croatia and the Balkans. Hot, dry summers, flammable pine and scrub vegetation, and abandoned rural land make southern Europe especially fire-prone, though large fires now also occur further north.
When is wildfire season in Europe?
In most of Europe the fire season runs from June to September, peaking in July and August during Mediterranean heatwaves and drought. Iberia and parts of the Atlantic coast can see fires as early as spring, and climate change is lengthening the season at both ends.
What causes wildfires in Europe?
The great majority — often cited as around 90% — are human-caused: discarded cigarettes, out-of-control agricultural or garden burning, machinery sparks, power lines, campfires and arson. Nature adds lightning strikes, while heatwaves, drought, strong winds and dry fuel turn a small ignition into a major wildfire.
How is this different from NASA FIRMS or Google fire maps?
It uses the same NASA satellite fire detections, but sourced through EFFIS, which is Europe-focused and adds burnt-area perimeters and the European fire-danger forecast. This tool centres the view on Europe, lets you filter by country, count fires and pick individual burning areas — all free, with no NASA API key and no signup.
Does the map show wildfire smoke or air quality?
Not directly — this map focuses on fire locations and burnt areas. Smoke plumes and air quality come from separate services such as the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). If a large fire is burning upwind of you, assume smoke and check a dedicated air-quality source.
Can I use it on my phone, and is it free?
Yes. It is fully responsive, works on iOS and Android browsers, and has a fullscreen mode for wall displays. It is 100% free — no account, no API key, no ads — and runs entirely in your browser, loading only public EFFIS / NASA map tiles.
How do I see the fires in one specific country, like Spain or France?
Choose the country from the Country dropdown — the map flies there, the status box shows a live count (e.g. “Spain: 47 fires”), and the Burning area pick list filters to that country's largest current fires so you can jump straight to each one.
What should I do if I spot a wildfire?
Report it immediately to the emergency services — dial 112 anywhere in the EU — giving the location, size and wind direction. Move away from the fire and smoke, do not attempt to fight a spreading wildfire yourself, and follow the instructions of local authorities and firefighters.