Fire | NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
Source: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-environment/dust-ash-fire/fire
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:38
Fire | NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
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Fire
Fires, whether naturally occurring or manmade, can have far-reaching impacts on society. They can destroy homes, wildlife habitats, and valuable resources, while also consuming vast tracts of land and releasing large amounts of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.
Monitoring wildfires from the ground is labor intensive, expensive, and limited in scope. Satellites, however, provide a broader and more efficient way to detect and track fires. They can collect valuable information about a fire’s location, size, temperature and intensity, which is difficult or impossible to gather solely from the ground.
How NOAA Satellites Monitor Fires
NOAA satellites are essential for wildfire monitoring and management, delivering critical information to support firefighting efforts and safeguard public safety. They detect heat signatures, map fire perimeters and burned areas, and track smoke and pollutants to assess air quality and health impacts. These advanced capabilities enable firefighting agencies to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and predict fire behavior using enhanced prediction models.
NOAA operates two key satellite systems:
geostationary
and
polar-orbiting
.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
(GOES)–R Series
, equipped with the
Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI)
, delivers near real-time, high-resolution images that help forecasters
detect and characterize fires
. To do so, they can locate heat signatures, determine a fire’s size and temperature, detect changes in a fire’s behavior, and monitor smoke and air quality. The ability to monitor smoke plumes in near real-time is particularly useful for directing firefighting efforts.
NOAA is also using GOES satellite imagery in its new wildfire tool, the
Next Generation Fire System
(NGFS), which uses artificial intelligence to scan satellite imagery and quickly detect fires down to the neighborhood level. NGFS also tracks wildfire growth and monitors fire intensity in near real-time, helping first responders prioritize which fires need immediate attention and keep firefighters safe. The NGFS displays this information on a dashboard that provides access to satellite imagery and other critical information such as fire weather outlooks and red flag warnings, wildfire incident perimeters, governmental boundaries, agency jurisdictions, and fuels data, which are essential for decision-making during a fire.
Polar-orbiting satellites, such as those in the
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)
, feature the
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
, which offers detailed, continuous global fire monitoring. VIIRS excels in detecting smaller, lower-temperature fires with its 375-meter spatial resolution and Day-Night Band, which captures low-intensity visible light for enhanced nighttime fire detection.
These capabilities also make information from VIIRS especially valuable for models such as
HRRR-Smoke
, which forecasts wildfire smoke movement up to 24 hours in advance. The model relies on VIIRS hot spot detections for initialization while also incorporating data from GOES.
Additionally, the
Hazard Mapping System (HMS)
integrates satellite data into a publicly accessible platform that provides daily updates on fire locations and conditions. NOAA collaborates with partners like NASA and the U.S. Forest Service to enhance fire monitoring and share critical information.
Learn more about how
NOAA supports wildfire science and response
.
Cameron Fire Becomes Colorado’s Largest Fire Ever
On October 14, 2020, the GOES-East satellite viewed the Cameron Peak Fire near Ft. Collins, CO, which has been burning for two months.
Colorado's largest fire
Cameron Fire Becomes Colorado’s Largest Fire Ever
GOES West Views Lake Fire's Explosive Growth
During the early morning hours of August 13, 2020, NOAA’s GOES-West satellite viewed the rapid growth of the Lake Hughes Fire in Angeles National Forest. The flames have, as of 9 a.m. PDT on August 14, engulfed over 17 square miles and are at 12% containment.
Explosive growth
GOES West Views Lake Fire's Explosive Growth
GOES West Monitors Flag Fire in Western Arizona
On April 25, 2021, the GOES West satellite focused in on the Flag Fire in western Arizona using a combination of the high-resolution visible channel on the satellite’s Advanced Baseline Imager, and Fire Temperature RGB.
GOES West captures flag fire
GOES West Monitors Flag Fire in Western Arizona
Neighborhoods Evacuated as Kincade Fire Spreads
Neighborhoods across parts of Sonoma County, California, are under evacuation orders, and more are expected as the Kincade Fire continues to spread toward Cloverdale.
Read about the fire
Neighborhoods Evacuated as Kincade Fire Spreads
More Articles on Fire
image
Feature Story
5 Ways NOAA’s Satellites Support Emergency Managers and First Responders
NOAA satellites help predict and detect early threats, track weather events as they happen, and map…
April 20, 2026
image
Announcement
NOAA Seeks Commercial Wildfire Imagery
On April 7, 2026, NOAA released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Wildfire Imagery Pilot to be…
April 9, 2026
image
Feature Story
NOAA’s Wildfire Detection System a “Game Changer” for Nebraska’s Record-Breaking Morrill Fire
When the Morrill Fire ignited in Nebraska on March 12, 2026, NOAA’s Next Generation Fire System (…
April 9, 2026
View More
Fire
Skip to main content
Official websites use .gov
A
.gov
website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A
lock
(
) or
https://
means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Fire
Fires, whether naturally occurring or manmade, can have far-reaching impacts on society. They can destroy homes, wildlife habitats, and valuable resources, while also consuming vast tracts of land and releasing large amounts of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.
Monitoring wildfires from the ground is labor intensive, expensive, and limited in scope. Satellites, however, provide a broader and more efficient way to detect and track fires. They can collect valuable information about a fire’s location, size, temperature and intensity, which is difficult or impossible to gather solely from the ground.
How NOAA Satellites Monitor Fires
NOAA satellites are essential for wildfire monitoring and management, delivering critical information to support firefighting efforts and safeguard public safety. They detect heat signatures, map fire perimeters and burned areas, and track smoke and pollutants to assess air quality and health impacts. These advanced capabilities enable firefighting agencies to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and predict fire behavior using enhanced prediction models.
NOAA operates two key satellite systems:
geostationary
and
polar-orbiting
.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
(GOES)–R Series
, equipped with the
Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI)
, delivers near real-time, high-resolution images that help forecasters
detect and characterize fires
. To do so, they can locate heat signatures, determine a fire’s size and temperature, detect changes in a fire’s behavior, and monitor smoke and air quality. The ability to monitor smoke plumes in near real-time is particularly useful for directing firefighting efforts.
NOAA is also using GOES satellite imagery in its new wildfire tool, the
Next Generation Fire System
(NGFS), which uses artificial intelligence to scan satellite imagery and quickly detect fires down to the neighborhood level. NGFS also tracks wildfire growth and monitors fire intensity in near real-time, helping first responders prioritize which fires need immediate attention and keep firefighters safe. The NGFS displays this information on a dashboard that provides access to satellite imagery and other critical information such as fire weather outlooks and red flag warnings, wildfire incident perimeters, governmental boundaries, agency jurisdictions, and fuels data, which are essential for decision-making during a fire.
Polar-orbiting satellites, such as those in the
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)
, feature the
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
, which offers detailed, continuous global fire monitoring. VIIRS excels in detecting smaller, lower-temperature fires with its 375-meter spatial resolution and Day-Night Band, which captures low-intensity visible light for enhanced nighttime fire detection.
These capabilities also make information from VIIRS especially valuable for models such as
HRRR-Smoke
, which forecasts wildfire smoke movement up to 24 hours in advance. The model relies on VIIRS hot spot detections for initialization while also incorporating data from GOES.
Additionally, the
Hazard Mapping System (HMS)
integrates satellite data into a publicly accessible platform that provides daily updates on fire locations and conditions. NOAA collaborates with partners like NASA and the U.S. Forest Service to enhance fire monitoring and share critical information.
Learn more about how
NOAA supports wildfire science and response
.
Cameron Fire Becomes Colorado’s Largest Fire Ever
On October 14, 2020, the GOES-East satellite viewed the Cameron Peak Fire near Ft. Collins, CO, which has been burning for two months.
Colorado's largest fire
Cameron Fire Becomes Colorado’s Largest Fire Ever
GOES West Views Lake Fire's Explosive Growth
During the early morning hours of August 13, 2020, NOAA’s GOES-West satellite viewed the rapid growth of the Lake Hughes Fire in Angeles National Forest. The flames have, as of 9 a.m. PDT on August 14, engulfed over 17 square miles and are at 12% containment.
Explosive growth
GOES West Views Lake Fire's Explosive Growth
GOES West Monitors Flag Fire in Western Arizona
On April 25, 2021, the GOES West satellite focused in on the Flag Fire in western Arizona using a combination of the high-resolution visible channel on the satellite’s Advanced Baseline Imager, and Fire Temperature RGB.
GOES West captures flag fire
GOES West Monitors Flag Fire in Western Arizona
Neighborhoods Evacuated as Kincade Fire Spreads
Neighborhoods across parts of Sonoma County, California, are under evacuation orders, and more are expected as the Kincade Fire continues to spread toward Cloverdale.
Read about the fire
Neighborhoods Evacuated as Kincade Fire Spreads
More Articles on Fire
image
Feature Story
5 Ways NOAA’s Satellites Support Emergency Managers and First Responders
NOAA satellites help predict and detect early threats, track weather events as they happen, and map…
April 20, 2026
image
Announcement
NOAA Seeks Commercial Wildfire Imagery
On April 7, 2026, NOAA released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Wildfire Imagery Pilot to be…
April 9, 2026
image
Feature Story
NOAA’s Wildfire Detection System a “Game Changer” for Nebraska’s Record-Breaking Morrill Fire
When the Morrill Fire ignited in Nebraska on March 12, 2026, NOAA’s Next Generation Fire System (…
April 9, 2026
View More
Fire