Last updated 10/10/2022 11:50am PDT
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I gather information here to help you track a wildfire anywhere in the US, with specific focus on Central California.
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Active Wildfires I’m Tracking
To see a list of past wildfire posts, visit the Wildfire Archive page.
Fire Links by County
- Madera County
- Fresno County
- Mariposa County + Yosemite
- More Coming Soon:
- Mono County
- Santa Barbara County
- Los Angeles County
- Orange County
- San Diego County
- Napa/Sonoma County
- Shasta/Tehama County
- Siskiyou County
Want to Do Your Own Research?
*WATCH*
Video showing some of the tools on this page
For a good introduction on how to use some of the links included on this page, check out this Facebook video from Jeff Aiello, which he made on 9/28/2020 to help track the Glass Fire.
Emergency Alerts
To receive emergency alerts for your area, text your zip code to 888777, or go to www.nixle.com
Official Inciweb & CALFire Information
There are two sites that should list most of the active wildfires on the west coast:
A) Go to inciweb.nwcg.gov to see a map and list of most active wildfires. Click on an incident to go to the official page and see information like the size of the fire, percentage containment, official contact phone numbers and a whole lot more. The larger the fire, the more information you’re likely to find on this site.
B) Some fires may not be listed on Inciweb, in which case you can check CalFire’s Incident Map.
Maps
The map links below are centered over California, but you can move around and zoom in on any region or wildfire in the US. Note: None of these maps provide real-time data. Refer to timestamps on each map to see the age of the map or specific hotspot.
- CalTopo.com
- Street Map Base + Fire Activity + Wind
(useful to orient yourself to streets and towns) - Topo Map Base + Fire Activity + Wind
(useful to see terrain, like ridges and valleys)
- Learn how to use CalTopo.com by watching my 12min CalTopo Quick Start Video (I speak specifically about the 2020 Creek Fire but it is applicable to any fire you are tracking).
- Street Map Base + Fire Activity + Wind
- FireMappers
- Topo + Fire Activity
If you want to change the FireMappers base layer to a street map, here are directions:
- Topo + Fire Activity
- Google Earth
- Want to track the fire in Google Earth? Watch my YouTube tutorial (Links to the files required are listed in the YouTube description)
- FlightRadar24.com Track firefighting aircraft activity in realtime. NOTE: If this site is down, try planefinder.net, but it does not have all the same functionality.
Webcams
- ALERT California Cameras *new for fall 2022*
- Many of the cameras previously available in the Alert Wildfire site have migrated to this new site. Go to https://alertca.live. You can search for cameras by address, browse the map, or click in the “Search cameras” box to see a dropdown of all camera choices.
- Alert Wildfire Cameras
- NOTE: As of fall 2022 many cameras from this site have migrated to ALERT California. Go to www.alertwildfire.org. Select a region by clicking on the black dot and then link. One of the region’s cameras will be shown by default, but check out all the available cameras on the map to the right, or the screenshots below the image. You can view a live image or a time-lapse animation. Note: When active wildfires are in the area of a camera, operators may shift the camera to focus directly on the fire.
- Caltrans CCTV Map
- Go to cwwp2.dot.ca.gov/vm/iframemap.htm and check to see if there are any cameras near the fire area. Click on the camera icon to see a live shot. Note: Video playback currently works only for laptop and desktop computers, not mobile devices.
Smoke & Air Quality
- AirNow Fire Map: This hybrid air quality map shows both official EPA sensors (more accurate) and low-cost and temporary sensors (more localized and more current) to give better to the minute information in fire areas where air quality can change rapidly due to smoke.
- AirNow Air Quality Map: Shows only the official EPA sensors, but can be used if the hybrid map above (still a pilot program) is not working.
- Wildland Fire Smoke Outlook: Click on any of the blue squares on the map to see the smoke outlook for that area for the next few days.
- GOES WEST- Pacific Coast Viewer: See a time-lapse satellite view of smoke conditions for the west coast
- California Smoke Information: A compilation of resources from public agencies for communities affected by wildfire smoke.
Weather
Go to the National Weather Service’s www.weather.gov and type in your zip code to get specific weather information and links to fire-specific resources if available.
Finding More Info for a Specific Fire
- Social Media
- If you have accounts for Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, log in and then search for the hashtag associated with the fire you’re tracking. For example, search for #GlassFire or #SQFComplexFire
- Search for these official Facebook or Twitter accounts for your region:
- Local/County Fire Department or CalFire
- Local/County Sheriffs Office (should have information on evacuations and repopulation)
- If the fire is in a National Forest area, search for the specific account for that forest, for example Sequoia National Forest or Sierra National Forest
- Search for local news outlets’ accounts, like TV news, online news sites, newspapers, and the social media accounts of individual reporters.
- Search for and join Facebook groups in the town/region of the fire. This can be a good place to see photos, videos, and share information, but remember to be cautious of any unverified information found here, as you would with any social media site.
- Webcams
- Search for additional webcams that might show fire or smoke conditions by doing a search for “webcam [town or city name]” (for example, you could search “webcam Calistoga” for the Glass Fire)
Preparation & Evacuation Information
- Red Cross
- 800-RED-CROSS
- www.redcross.org
- CALFire’s ReadyForWildfire.org
- CALFire’s Pre-Evacuation Tips:
County Links
Madera County
| Emergency Alerts  | Sign up at Madera County MCAlert – OR – Text your zip code to 888777 |
| Evacuation Resources | Humans For evacuation assistance, call the Sheriff’s Dept. at (559) 675-7770. If it is an emergency, call 911. Animals From 8am-5pm call the Madera Co. 311 service line for a live operator. After 5 pm, TEXT your request to (866) 333-3822 Central California Animal Disaster Team Website and Facebook page |
| Large Incident Tracking | CALFire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/ InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov |
| Maps | CALTopo Street Map + Fire Activity + Wind Plot Topo Map + Fire Activity + Wind Plot Forest Service Map + Fire Activity + Wind Plot #FireMappers Current Wildfires + Cameras + Satellite Data + Weather Air Attack FlightRadar24 |
| Scanner Channels | Madera, Mariposa, Merced Counties Fire Madera Co. Sheriff, Mariposa and Merced Co. CHP |
| Webcams | ALERTCalifornia Wildfire Cameras – Madera Co Oakhurst CALTRANS Hwy 41 & 49 (still image only on mobile devices, video requires Flash) SierraTel Deadwood Cam Bass Lake Pines Resort Miller’s Landing (refresh the page once you open it, to get the latest image) Coarsegold ABC-30 Chukchansi Resort & Casino Live Cam Madera/Fresno County Line ABC-30 Valley Children’s Hospital Yosemite Area Fish Camp Big Creek Meadow Tenaya Lodge Yosemite National Park Webcams |
| Weather & Smoke | IQAir AirNow Fire Map: This hybrid map shows both official EPA sensors (more accurate) and low-cost and temporary sensors (more localized and more current) GOES WEST- Pacific Coast Viewer (satellite smoke conditions) National Weather Service – Hanford NWS Current Forecast Discussion |
| Official Social Media | CALFire MMU: Facebook | Twitter Madera Co. Fire: Facebook Madera County Sheriff: Facebook | Twitter Sierra National Forest: Facebook | Twitter |
| Independent Social Media | Facebook Mountain Fire & Emergency Group (admins report only verified information) Sierra 911 Group (admins report only verified information) Talk of the Hill Group (community group may contain unverified information) @CAFireScanner (reports on fires throughout CA) |
| Local News | News Stations Sierra News Online ABC-30 Fresno KMPH Fresno KSEE24 YourCentralValley.com Fresno Bee Individual Reporters Kevin Musso ABC30 Marie Edinger FOX26 Corin Hoggard ABC30 Jenna Liston FOX26 |
Fresno County
Mariposa County + Yosemite
| Emergency Alerts | Sign up at Mariposa County MSO Alert Sign up at Mariposa County Notify Me – OR – Text your zip code to 888777 |
| Evacuation Resources | Animal Evacuation Call the Sheriff’s Office / Animal Services at (209) 966-3615 |
| Large Incident Tracking | CALFire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/ InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov |
| Maps | YOSEMITE Yosemite Current Year Fire Activity |
| Scanner Channels | Mariposa County Scanner Channels |
| Webcams | Mariposa ALERTCalifornia Cameras – Mariposa Co CALTRANS Mariposa Hwy 140 Yosemite Area Fish Camp Big Creek Meadow Tenaya Lodge Yosemite National Park Webcams |
| Weather & Smoke | Mariposa Co. Air Quality Index |
| Official Social Media | CALFire MMU: Facebook | Twitter Mariposa Co. Fire: Facebook Mariposa Co. Sheriff: Facebook | Twitter Sierra National Forest: Facebook | Twitter |
| Independent Social Media | Twitter @CAFireScanner (reports on fires throughout CA) |
| Local News | ABC-30: Mariposa Sierra News Online: Mariposa Mariposa Gazette (subscription required) |
| Recovery Information | Mariposa Recovers: Alerts & Advisories |