Northwest Territories Satellite Hotspots
Explore satellite heat detections across the Northwest Territories with observations kept separate from GNWT confirmed wildfire records.
What a hotspot can tell you
A visible point represents a recent satellite-detected heat signal included in FireRadar’s NASA FIRMS feed. Several points close together can relate to one fire, multiple fires, repeated satellite observations, or another heat source. Hotspots can add independent observation context around a known incident, especially in remote areas.
What it cannot tell you
A hotspot is not an official incident record, fire perimeter, control status, evacuation area, or proof that a wildfire is out of control. Cloud, heavy smoke, orbit timing, surface conditions, and source filtering can also hide or duplicate detections. Use the official wildfire layer when you need a named incident and source status.
Why local geography matters
The Northwest Territories covers immense boreal and taiga landscapes with remote communities, limited roads, industrial sites, lightning activity, and long distances between observations on the ground. Satellite clusters can help show heat activity but are not incident boundaries or official status. GNWT Environment and Climate Change remains authoritative for wildfire operations.
Do not count hotspots as wildfires
FireRadar deliberately keeps NASA FIRMS detections outside direct-official wildfire totals. A map with many thermal points can represent fewer confirmed incidents, repeated observations, or non-wildfire heat. A map with no visible hotspot is also not proof that no wildfire is present.
Satellite source
FireRadar uses NASA FIRMS VIIRS thermal-detection data for this observation layer. Official Northwest Territories incident records stay in FireRadar’s wildfire layer and retain their own source provenance.
Open NASA FIRMS →