Wildfires in Galicia
This page shows the heat spots NASA satellites detected over Galicia in the last 24 hours. It is not an official fire report: it is what can be seen from space, gaps and delays included, told as it is.
6heat spots in the last 24 hours
Checked: 01/09, 00:14 · NASA FIRMS (VIIRS e MODIS), ficheiros abertos das últimas 24 h
| Where | Detected | Satellite |
|---|---|---|
| San Cibrao das Viñas · Ourense | 31/08, 15:23 | VIIRS S-NPP |
| Rubiá · Ourense | 31/08, 03:22 | VIIRS NOAA-21 |
| Rubiá · Ourense | 30/08, 04:36 | VIIRS NOAA-20 |
| A Coruña · A Coruña | 31/08, 04:17 | VIIRS NOAA-20 |
| A Coruña · A Coruña | 31/08, 05:02 | VIIRS NOAA-21 |
| A Coruña · A Coruña | 31/08, 03:58 | VIIRS S-NPP |
See them on the map
The same hotspots, but on the ground: switch on the «heat spots» layer of the map of Galicia and you see the villages, hills, rivers and heritage around them. Each hotspot carries the time the satellite saw it. The map also has the 1956 aerial view, which shows how much the hillside now burning has changed.
What a heat spot is (and is not)
A heat spot is a point where a satellite measured a temperature far higher than its surroundings. That is usually fire, but not always: an authorised agricultural burn, hot industry, a kiln or a quarry all show up too. And the other way round, a small fire under tree cover may never be seen. A heat spot is NOT a confirmed wildfire, and it says nothing about how much land is burning.
I can see smoke and nothing appears here
That is normal and happens often. Hours can pass between a fire starting and a satellite flying over; cloud or thick smoke hides it; and small fires or fires under canopy often go undetected. Its absence here means nothing.
If you see a fire
Call 112 and give the location as precisely as you can. Do not approach it, do not try to put it out, and do not assume somebody has already reported it.
Where this data comes from
From the VIIRS instruments (Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 satellites) and MODIS, which NASA publishes openly through FIRMS. Each satellite passes over Galicia about twice a day. All four sources are queried, points falling in the same cell of roughly 400 metres are grouped —several satellites can see the same fire— and the one with the highest radiative power is kept. Updated every fifteen minutes.
Data source: NASA FIRMS ↗
Questions
Are there wildfires in Galicia right now?
This page shows heat spots detected by satellite in the last 24 hours. It is not an official report: to know whether a fire is active and what state it is in, check the Galician emergency service or call 112.
How often is it updated?
Every fifteen minutes, although new data only appears when a satellite passes over, about twice a day for each of the four.
Why does a heat spot appear where there is no fire?
Because the satellite measures heat, not fire. An authorised agricultural burn, industry, a lime kiln or a quarry can all produce one.
Can I use this to decide whether to evacuate?
No. It arrives late, it cannot see through cloud and it does not know which way the fire is spreading. For that, call 112.