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MW · Malawi · ● live

Wildfires in Malawi today

There are 17 probable fires in Malawi right now: 1,519 heat detections by satellite in the last 24 hours, grouped by proximity. The most intense one is near Nkhata Bay (15,545 MW). Its fire page has been tracking it since 14 October 2026.

Latest satellite detection: 25 Oct 2026, 13:04 UTC (3 h ago).

A heat detection is not a confirmed fire: farm burning and industry also produce them, and clouds or smoke can hide a fire.

Daily briefing for the press ›

probable fires
17
heat detections
1,519
fire pages with detections in 48 h
54

If you are in danger, call your local emergency number and follow the instructions of the authorities. WorldFires is not an emergency service.

Detection clusters in the last 24 hours · 17

  1. 15,545 MW Nkhata Bay 1,175 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 16,500 ha with fire · page with a 1,691 ha perimeter
  2. 543 MW Nkhotakota 83 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 1,200 ha with fire · page with a 1,475 ha perimeter
  3. 312 MW Karonga 20 hotspots · last one 5 h ago · about 300 ha with fire · page with a 2,610 ha perimeter
  4. 235 MW Chitipa 15 hotspots · last one 5 h ago · about 200 ha with fire · page with a 2,087 ha perimeter
  5. 201 MW Kasungu 8 hotspots · last one 5 h ago · about 100 ha with fire
  6. 183 MW Lilongwe 34 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 500 ha with fire · page with a 1,335 ha perimeter
  7. 138 MW Karonga 26 hotspots · last one 5 h ago · about 400 ha with fire · page with a 2,969 ha perimeter
  8. 132 MW Mzimba 29 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 400 ha with fire · page with a 20,278 ha perimeter
  9. 119 MW Kasungu 15 hotspots · last one 5 h ago · about 200 ha with fire · page with a 1,058 ha perimeter
  10. 75 MW Lilongwe 18 hotspots · last one 16 h ago · about 300 ha with fire
  11. 74 MW Ntchisi 19 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 300 ha with fire · page with a 1,478 ha perimeter
  12. 68 MW Nkhotakota 11 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 200 ha with fire · page with a 1,442 ha perimeter
  13. 66 MW Karonga 13 hotspots · last one 5 h ago · about 200 ha with fire · page with a 1,129 ha perimeter
  14. 63 MW Nkhotakota 18 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 300 ha with fire
  15. 61 MW Nsanje 17 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 200 ha with fire
  16. 53 MW Ntchisi 13 hotspots · last one 5 h ago · about 200 ha with fire
  17. 48 MW Kasungu 5 hotspots · last one 4 h ago · about 100 ha with fire

Fire pages with detections in the last 48 hours · 54

and 24 more ›

Wildfires in Malawi › World map of what is burning now › Methodology ›

Where this data comes from

Hotspots from the VIIRS sensors on Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 (NASA FIRMS), 375 m pixels and about six passes a day between the three. They are grouped into probable fires when neighbouring hotspots exist; agricultural burning or an industrial chimney also show on the map, which is why small groups are left out of the list. A hotspot is a thermal detection, not a confirmed fire: in an emergency call your local emergency number.