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A View from Space to Protect Our Communities: We're Launching the NASA FIRMS Fire Layer

23 Jul 2026 · 12:37

Fires require quick, clear, and reliable information. That’s why we’ve added a new layer of satellite thermal imagery to the map of Spain’s Most Beautiful Towns , allowing you to see, with a variable technical delay, where recent thermal activity is concentrated in our country and the surrounding area.

NEW LAYER · WEB AND APP

The land, seen from space

Three satellites equipped with the VIIRS instrument observe the Earth’s surface and record temperature anomalies. We convert these observations into an understandable, searchable layer that is always identified as indicative satellite data.

Visible window: 24 hours Frequent updates Source: NASA FIRMS

Mapa web de Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España con la capa NASA FIRMS activada — Web overview: the towns in the network coexist with thermal detections from the last 24 hours. The number of points changes continuously.

FOR UNDERSTANDING, NOT TO ALARM

What does each point represent?

Each circle marks a pixel where the satellite has detected a thermal anomaly. Several nearby points may belong to the same event. They are not flames drawn on the map, nor an official perimeter, nor do they automatically correspond to hectares burned.

A detection may correspond to a wildfire, but it could also be agricultural burning, an industrial facility, or another intense source of heat. The overlay helps locate and track signals; confirmation and emergency instructions are always the responsibility of the authorities.

Ampliación del mapa web mostrando un conjunto de detecciones térmicas NASA FIRMS — Zooming in on the map reveals the pattern of detections: many nearby points represent different thermal observations, not necessarily that many fires.

HOW IT WORKS

From satellite to screen, in four steps

1 · Observation The S-NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21 satellites orbit the Earth with VIIRS sensors capable of detecting thermal hotspots.

2 · NASA FIRMS Data NASA’s FIRMS system distributes detections of fires and thermal anomalies in near real time.

3 · LPMBE Processing The platform cross-references the sources, eliminates duplicates, and organizes the data points so the map remains readable.

4 · Visual Interpretation: The color scheme allows users to see at a glance how much time has elapsed since each observation.

COLOR IS TIME

A legend for interpreting the age of data

The most intense shades correspond to the most recent observations within the selected window.

Red · less than 6 hours

Orange · between 6 and 12 hours

Yellow · between 12 and 24 hours

Brown · more than 24 hours when viewing an expanded window

ALSO ON YOUR PHONE

The same view travels with you in the app

The layer is also available in the “Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España ” app. You can turn it on and off directly from the map, zoom in on an area, and view the surrounding territory alongside the towns in the network.

Mapa de la app con detecciones térmicas y alertas cercanas a pueblos de la red — The app displays thermal detections on the map and, when available, informational alerts marked with their own symbol.

Satellite detection and informational monitoring are two different things

The hotspots come from NASA FIRMS. The alert descriptions, when available, provide context and are updated with consolidated official sources. This helps us avoid confusing an automatic signal with an emergency notification and clearly explains what is known, when it was updated, and what remains unconfirmed.

Ficha de seguimiento informativo de una alerta de incendio en la app — Example of an information sheet in the app: status, update time, developments, and confirmed data are presented separately from the automated layer.

TECHNOLOGY AT THE SERVICE OF THE COMMUNITY

Caring also means helping people understand

Our towns are deeply connected to their landscape. Incorporating this layer is a way to make complex public information accessible to residents, visitors, and municipal officials in an easy-to-understand format, without ever replacing emergency services.

It is also a commitment: to continue improving our tools so that the beauty, heritage, and life of our towns are accompanied by useful, accessible, and responsible information.

Open the interactive map

Layer source: NASA FIRMS / LANCE, VIIRS instrument on the S-NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21 satellites. Indicative thermal detection: this does not constitute an official alert nor does it, on its own, confirm a wildfire. In the event of an emergency, always follow the instructions from Civil Protection and 112.