FIRMS Fire Information for Resource Management System (NASA)
NASA's FIRMS delivers satellite fire detections within 3 hours anywhere on Earth, and in real time for the US and Canada (NASA FIRMS).
Image: NASA (ISS073-E-0420604, Aug. 3, 2025).
Last reviewed: 4 sources cited
Suomi NPP data ending November 2, 2026
FIRMS says delivery of new observations from the Suomi NPP satellite will end on November 2, 2026, and asks data users to move to the same products from NOAA-20 and NOAA-21.
Source: NASA Earthdata, FIRMS
Explain Like I'm 10
- Satellites can feel the heat of a fire from space.
- FIRMS puts those hot spots on a free map within a few hours.
- Firefighters and farmers can even get an email when a fire starts nearby.
The Five W's of FIRMS
Who
NASA runs FIRMS as part of its LANCE near-real-time system. The University of Maryland first built it with funds from NASA and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
What
Active fire and hotspot data from the MODIS instruments on Aqua and Terra and the VIIRS instruments on Suomi NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21.
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
When
FIRMS moved to NASA LANCE in 2012. Globally, data arrive within 3 hours of a satellite pass; for the US and Canada, detections are real-time.
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
Where
The whole planet, with a special US and Canada fire map.
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
Why
Decision makers need to know where fires are burning now. FIRMS sends them email alerts, maps and data they can download.
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
Impact Statement
Agency solution · active
Global fire detections reach users within 3 hours of observation, and US and Canada detections arrive in real time (NASA FIRMS).
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
For Further Information: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
FIRMS combines fire detections from five satellites: Aqua, Terra, Suomi NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 (NASA FIRMS).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Email fire alerts let communities, land managers and responders learn about nearby fires quickly (NASA FIRMS).
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
For Nature
FIRMS assists global organizations in fire analysis, including fires burning through forests and other wild lands (NASA FIRMS).
Source: NASA FIRMS, Fire Information for Resource Management System
Get Involved With FIRMS
Want to go deeper? NASA has the full FIRMS story.
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This is a public mission, so there is nothing to donate. You can explore its free data or join a citizen science project.