Wildfire, Smoke & Air Quality
Wildfire Hotspots Dashboard Card Explained
The wildfire hotspots card summarizes recent satellite fire detections and related fire-context signals visible on the live dashboard.
Quick read
- Useful for
- Hotspot counts can help users notice where fire activity may be present, but detections are not evacuation maps, incident perimeters, or proof of conditions at a specific address.
- Watch
- Total hotspots, source freshness, unavailable-source labels, top affected areas, smoke or AQI overlap, and whether official local fire agencies have issued instructions.
- Confirm with
- NASA FIRMS and National Interagency Fire Center
- Remember
- Satellite detections can miss fires under clouds or smoke, include false positives, and lag fast-moving conditions.
What the card summarizes
The Wildfire Hotspots card condenses recent satellite fire detections and available fire context into a quick dashboard signal. It is designed to answer whether public fire-detection activity deserves attention, not whether a specific location is safe.
Read the card with nearby AQI, smoke, weather, power, and transportation signals. Fire impacts can be indirect: smoke can travel far, power shutoffs may occur away from flame fronts, and road access can change quickly.
Visible metrics in plain English
- Total hotspots: the count of recent public satellite detections included in the dashboard scope.
- Status or unavailable labels: whether HazardNow has a recent enough source snapshot to summarize confidently.
- Top areas or context lines: broad place names or source notes for triage, not official incident boundaries.
- Source freshness: a reminder that satellite passes and cache refreshes do not update continuously.
Limitations and official verification
- A hotspot is a detection, not an official incident perimeter or evacuation notice.
- Cloud cover, smoke, terrain, satellite timing, and source outages can affect what appears.
- Verify evacuation orders, shelters, road closures, and smoke-health guidance through local emergency management, fire agencies, air districts, and NWS offices.
Visual reference
Wildfire card signal map
Read the signal as one layer in a larger source stack, not as a standalone instruction.
Official/public sources
Use these links to verify current source text, update timing, and agency caveats.
FAQ
Does the wildfire card show official evacuation zones?
No. It summarizes public detection/context signals. Evacuation zones and instructions must be verified with official local or state agencies.