Western Fire Chiefs Association Launches Real-Time Wildfire Tracking Map
The Western Fire Chiefs Association has launched an interactive fire map at wfca.com/fire-map to track near real-time wildfire activity across the western United States and Alaska. The platform aggregates satellite detections, live emergency dispatches, and weather warnings into a single, toggleable interface.
Satellite data powers the map’s heat detection layers. The system ingests thermal observations from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System—utilizing VIIRS, MODIS, and Landsat instruments—alongside geostationary data from NOAA’s GOES satellites. These detections are verified by Satellites on Fire, an artificial intelligence system that verifies wildfire detections from those satellites to deliver higher-resolution fire identification.
Data Layers and Emergency Dispatch Tracking
Users can view active incidents, official perimeters from federal FEDS datasets, and official IRWIN incident records that track fire growth and containment status. The platform also integrates live 911 dispatch calls via PulsePoint, covering fires, medical calls, and other local emergencies.
Additional observational layers include short-range smoke and lightning forecasts, alongside early perimeter and three-hour spread forecasts for California fires provided by FIRIS. The map also features live feeds from wildfire-tasked firefighting aircraft, including tankers, helicopters, and reconnaissance planes filtered through a maintained allowist of tail numbers. Visual confirmation is supported by live fire cameras from ALERTCalifornia, ALERTWest, and partner networks, alongside GOES GeoColor true-color imagery and VIIRS Fire Bands composites.
Fire Weather Monitoring and Deep-Link Sharing
The National Weather Service and NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center supply contextual weather data, displaying active Red Flag Warnings, fire-weather outlooks, wind speeds, and humidity levels. Every layer on the interface is color-coded by recency and confidence.
The platform supports deep-link sharing. Users can bookmark or share URLs for any state, individual fire, or specific viewport, and the map automatically loads the exact view. WFCA notes that fire dispatch and location data are approximate, and no representation or warranty is given as to the timeliness, accuracy, or completeness of the data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What satellites detect the wildfires on the WFCA map?
The map uses polar-orbiting thermal sensors from NASA FIRMS, including VIIRS, MODIS, and Landsat, combined with NOAA’s GOES geostationary satellites that offer a five-minute refresh rate.
How does artificial intelligence verify the fire detections?
Satellites on Fire, an AI system, verifies wildfire detections from those satellites to provide higher-resolution heat detections across the western United States and Alaska.
Can users view active firefighting aircraft on the map?
Yes, the platform includes a dedicated layer showing live tracking for firefighting tankers, helicopters, and reconnaissance planes filtered to a maintained allowist of wildfire-tasked tail numbers.
Where does the emergency dispatch data come from?
Live 911 dispatch information for fires and medical emergencies is integrated directly into the map via PulsePoint.
Worth a look