Free tools · Seen from space
Fire in eThekwini
Fire in the twelve months to October 2026: 406 fire detections seen from space; 110 ha burnt in the 7 of those months with burnt area out. The most since 2012: 2014, 854.
Two readings from space. Fire detections are hot spots a VIIRS satellite saw as it passed, each about 375 m across, counted where they fall in the place: a big fire gives many, a short one between passes none. Burnt area is the ground that looks burnt afterwards, from Sentinel-3 at 300 m, in hectares. Neither is a fire report from the ground.
The last twelve months
- 406Fire detectionsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- 110 haBurnt7 of the twelve months; the rest not out yet
Show the numbers
| When or what | Figure |
|---|---|
| November 2025 | 10 fire detections |
| December 2025 | 3 fire detections |
| January 2026 | 5 fire detections |
| February 2026 | 10 fire detections |
| March 2026 | 8 fire detections |
| April 2026 | 15 fire detections |
| May 2026 | 37 fire detections |
| June 2026 | 84 fire detections |
| July 2026 | 142 fire detections |
| August 2026 | 43 fire detections |
| September 2026 | 37 fire detections |
| October 2026 | 12 fire detections |
| November 2025 | 0.0 ha burnt (0.000% of the place) |
| December 2025 | 0.0 ha burnt (0.000% of the place) |
| January 2026 | 0.0 ha burnt (0.000% of the place) |
| February 2026 | 0.0 ha burnt (0.000% of the place) |
| March 2026 | 0.0 ha burnt (0.000% of the place) |
| April 2026 | 57 ha burnt (0.023% of the place) |
| May 2026 | 53 ha burnt (0.021% of the place) |
| June 2026 | not out yet |
| July 2026 | not out yet |
| August 2026 | not out yet |
| September 2026 | not out yet |
| October 2026 | not out yet |
| Month | Detections | Nominal or high confidence | NOAA-20 (second reading) | Burnt | Share of the place | Land seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 12 | 11 | 23 | not out yet | · | · |
| September 2026 | 37 | 29 | 35 | not out yet | · | · |
| August 2026 | 43 | 39 | 55 | not out yet | · | · |
| July 2026 | 142 | 133 | 127 | not out yet | · | · |
| June 2026 | 84 | 81 | 96 | not out yet | · | · |
| May 2026 | 37 | 29 | 61 | 53 ha | 0.021% | 99% |
| April 2026 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 57 ha | 0.023% | 99% |
| March 2026 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0.0 ha | 0.000% | 99% |
| February 2026 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 0.0 ha | 0.000% | 99% |
| January 2026 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 0.0 ha | 0.000% | 99% |
| December 2025 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0.0 ha | 0.000% | 99% |
| November 2025 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 0.0 ha | 0.000% | 99% |
NOAA-20 carries the same instrument as S-NPP and passes about 50 minutes apart, so its count is a second reading of the same fires, not extra fires. “Land seen” is the share of the place’s land the burnt-area product saw often enough that month to tell.
The worst years
- 2014854 fire detections, most in June 2014
- 2012831 fire detections, most in July 2012
- 2020787 fire detections, most in August 2020; 2,478 ha burnt
By hectares burnt (whole years from 2019): 2024, 2,681 ha (1.1% of the place); 2020, 2,478 ha (0.99% of the place); 2019, 1,992 ha (0.80% of the place).
Every year since 2012
| Year | Fire detections | Burnt | Share of the place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (10 months) | 393 | 5 months out | · |
| 2025 | 316 | 868 ha | 0.35% |
| 2024 | 575 | 2,681 ha | 1.1% |
| 2023 | 392 | 928 ha | 0.37% |
| 2022 | 362 | 1,067 ha | 0.43% |
| 2021 | 614 | 1,935 ha | 0.77% |
| 2020 | 787 | 2,478 ha | 0.99% |
| 2019 | 612 | 1,992 ha | 0.80% |
| 2018 | 511 | 6 months out | · |
| 2017 | 496 | · | · |
| 2016 | 358 | · | · |
| 2015 | 439 | · | · |
| 2014 | 854 | · | · |
| 2013 | 656 | · | · |
| 2012 (11 months) | 831 | · | · |
Detections from February 2012 (S-NPP); burnt area from July 2018, so whole years of it from 2019. A larger place’s figures are the sums of its 2026 wards.
Each ward
- Ward 1 (Cato Ridge)
- Ward 2
- Ward 3 (Buffelsdraai)
- Ward 4 (Elangeni, Hammarsdale)
- Ward 5 (Mpumalanga, Mophela)
- Ward 6 (Mpumalanga)
- Ward 7 (Hilldene, St. Helier)
- Ward 8 (Hillcrest, Albany Grove)
- Ward 9 (Waterfall, Waterfall Gardens Retirement Village)
- Ward 10 (Forest Hills, Kloof)
- Ward 11 (Briardale, Hippo Road)
- Ward 12 (KwaNdengezi)
- Ward 13 (Mariann, Washington Heights)
- Ward 14 (Dassenhoek, Thornwood)
- Ward 15 (Mariannhill, Westmead)
- Ward 16 (Ashley, Caversham Glen)
- Ward 17 (Klaarwater, Shallcross)
- Ward 18 (Pinetown, Cowie's Hill)
- Ward 19 (Motalabad, Zamokuhle)
- Ward 20 (KwaDabeka)
- Ward 21 (Berkshire Downs, Padfield Park)
- Ward 22 (Clermont)
- Ward 23 (Palmiet, Reservoir Hills)
- Ward 24 (Queensburgh, Chesterville)
- Ward 25 (Clare Hills, Kennedy Road)
- Ward 26 (North Beach, Point)
- Ward 27 (Essenwood, Greyville)
- Ward 28 (Durban, Durban Central)
- Ward 29 (Cato Manor, Umkumbaan)
- Ward 30 (Berea West, Beverley Hills)
- Ward 31 (Berea, Musgrave)
- Ward 32 (Bayhead, Bulwer)
- Ward 33 (Carrington Heights, Umbilo)
- Ward 34 (Avoca, Greenwood Park)
- Ward 35 (Umhlanga Rocks, Glenashley)
- Ward 36 (Durban North, Athlone)
- Ward 37 (Earlsfield, Hillgrove)
- Ward 38 (Earlsfield, Briardale)
- Ward 39 (Avoca Hills, Duff's Road)
- Ward 40 (Briardale, Avoca Hills)
- Ward 41 (Briardale, KwaMashu)
- Ward 42 (Inanda)
- Ward 43 (Inanda, KwaMashu)
- Ward 44 (Lindley, KwaDabeka)
- Ward 45 (KwaMashu)
- Ward 46 (Bridge City, Duff's Road)
- Ward 47 (Besters)
- Ward 48 (Centenary Park, Clayfield)
- Ward 49 (Phoenix, Eastbury)
- Ward 50 (Foresthaven, Stanmore)
- Ward 51 (Brookdale, Caneside)
- Ward 52 (Westham, Whetstone)
- Ward 53 (Brookdale, Westham)
- Ward 54 (Bhambayi, Bridge City)
- Ward 55 (Ohlange, Shembes Village)
- Ward 56 (Lindley)
- Ward 57 (Westham, Bhambayi)
- Ward 58 (Canelands, Casuarina)
- Ward 59 (Buffelsdraai)
- Ward 60 (Verulam, Everest Heights)
- Ward 61 (Belvedere, Tongaat South)
- Ward 62 (oThongathi, Gandhi's Hill)
- Ward 63 (Escombe, Malvern)
- Ward 64 (Mobeni West, Montclair)
- Ward 65 (Bellair, Burlington Heights)
- Ward 66 (Brighton Beach, Fynnland)
- Ward 67 (Folweni, KwaMakhutha)
- Ward 68 (Austerville, Merebank)
- Ward 69 (Bayview, Havenside)
- Ward 70 (Kharwastan, Silverglen)
- Ward 71 (Bottlebrush, Crossmoor)
- Ward 72 (Risecliff, Klaarwater)
- Ward 73 (Chatsworth, Arena Park)
- Ward 74 (Lamont)
- Ward 75 (Jacobs, Mobeni East)
- Ward 76 (Isipingo Rail, Lamont)
- Ward 77 (Montford)
- Ward 78
- Ward 79 (Umlazi, Montford)
- Ward 80 (Umlazi, Havenside)
- Ward 81 (Umlazi)
- Ward 82 (Umlazi)
- Ward 83 (Malukazi, Umlazi)
- Ward 84 (Malukazi, Folweni)
- Ward 85 (Malukazi, Umlazi)
- Ward 86 (Malukazi)
- Ward 87 (Malukazi, Umlazi)
- Ward 88 (Umlazi, Isipingo Rail)
- Ward 89 (Isipingo, Malukazi)
- Ward 90 (Isipingo, Isipingo Beach)
- Ward 91 (Mpumalanga)
- Ward 92 (Atholl Heights, Chiltern Hills)
- Ward 93 (Umbogintwini, Amanzimtoti)
- Ward 94 (KwaMakhutha)
- Ward 95 (Folweni)
- Ward 96 (Folweni, Umbumbulu)
- Ward 97 (Astra Park, Buena Vista)
- Ward 98 (Lower Illovo, Umgababa)
- Ward 99 (Umkomaas, Clansthal)
- Ward 100 (Umbumbulu)
- Ward 101 (Westridge, Wiggins)
- Ward 102 (Mount Edgecombe, Palmview)
- Ward 103 (Botha's Hill, Drummond)
- Ward 104 (KwaMashu, Avoca Hills)
- Ward 105 (Mfume)
- Ward 106 (Lotusville, Marmic)
- Ward 107 (Besters, Shembes Village)
- Ward 108 (Lindley)
- Ward 109 (Shulton Park, Astra Park)
- Ward 110 (Dalefarm, Glen Anil)
- Ward 111 (Montford, Washington Heights)
- Ward 112 (Mawotana, Mountview)
Places in each ward: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Everything we hold for eThekwini, on one page
Source
Seen from space by American and European satellites: not fires reported on the ground.
How we worked this out
What we changed: we counted FIRMS’s detections (presumed vegetation fires only) by the 2026 ward their position falls in, and summed CLMS’s burned fraction times each pixel’s area over each ward; municipalities, districts and provinces are the sums of their wards.
Fire detections: we acknowledge the use of data and/or imagery from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), part of NASA’s LANCE (VIIRS 375 m, S-NPP and NOAA-20). Burnt area: generated using European Union’s Copernicus Land Monitoring Service information (Burnt Area 300 m version 4, DOI 10.2909/8fa58061-28ab-49bb-9b77-c26b50733e34), modified; this does not mean the European Union endorses us.
Dataset: burnt area and fire, release of 12 November 2026.