What every layer, icon, and number on the
Utah Wildfire Tracker means — in plain language,
with where the data comes from and what it can and can't tell you.
Map layers
Toggle these in the layers control (top-right of the map). Live layers
— aircraft, satellite, spread — are often empty, which just means
nothing to show right now.
🔥 Active fires
Fires 100+ acres, plus any fire found in the last
24 hours at any size. Source: NIFC (WFIGS/IRWIN).
🔸 Small fires (< 100 ac)
Smaller, non-new fires, split off so you can hide the clutter
(your choice is remembered). In the fire list they collapse into one
expandable row — except any that matter to your current sort (e.g. a
small fire that's growing fast, brand new, or barely contained stays
listed). Totals always count them.
🔴 Active burning
Satellite heat detections — where it's actually burning. Red =
within ~3 h (the front), orange = today, faded = older. Updates
in passes, so it can miss a fire between them. NASA FIRMS.
🟠 Possible new fires off by default
Satellite heat with no matching official fire — a possible
unreported start, marked unconfirmed (may be crop or
industrial burns).
➤ Spread direction
Which way a fire moved and how fast, from its two latest satellite
passes. Shown only when the motion beats sensor noise. Observed past
movement — not a forecast.
✈ Fire aircraft
Tankers, scoopers, and helicopters near Utah fires now, by replica
icon, from live ADS-B. Shared airframes (e.g. a UH-60) show only when
working within ~25 mi of a fire.
🟥 Fire perimeters
The mapped outline of the burned area — the real footprint. Lags a
fast fire's true edge. This is the "how big," not the pin.
🌫 Smoke plumes
Where smoke is drifting (light/medium/heavy). NOAA HMS.
⚠️ Weather alerts
Live NWS alerts for Utah — Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches,
and evacuation-related alerts.
◾ Retired fires off by default
This season's finished fires as gray pins, ranked by the most
authoritative signal available: officially declared out
(NIFC/IRWIN), controlled, 100% contained and off the
national active list, or presumed out when reporting
has been quiet for 7+ days. The sidebar's "Retired fires" list shows
the same fires with dates.
🏙 City limits
Official municipal boundaries (Utah SGID), drawn as dashed blue
outlines once you zoom to city level — so you can see exactly where
a fire sits relative to town. City names show on both base maps.
Icons
Flame pins
Colored and sized by acreage (see the Fire size legend). Pulsing =
found in the last 24 h; dimmed = 90%+ contained.
🔵 Blue dot
You, if you tap the crosshair and allow location. The circle is GPS
accuracy. Stays in your browser — never sent anywhere.
➤ Spread arrows
Orange = measured spread; red = also wind-aligned. Speed is in the
fire's popup.
📰 Latest coverage
Fire popups pull the freshest reporting matched to that specific
fire — official posts (Utah Fire Info, tagged) ranked above
established local newsrooms, newest first.
The numbers
Active fires
All active incidents statewide — counts small ones even when hidden
on the map.
Acres burning
Total reported acreage across all fires.
New in 24 h
Fires discovered in the last day.
Growth rate
Acreage change over 1 h to 7 d, labeled accelerating /
growing / steady / slowing.
Containment
Percent of the perimeter crews have secured — not percent
put out.
Sources
Official public feeds, refreshed every 5 minutes:
NIFC WFIGS (incidents, perimeters),
NASA FIRMS (heat detections),
NOAA HMS (smoke),
NWS (alerts),
Open-Meteo (weather & air quality),
and live ADS-B receivers (aircraft).
Limits
An informational dashboard, not an emergency resource.
Satellite layers update in passes; perimeters and containment lag the
real fire; spread arrows are past movement, not a forecast.
For evacuations and official guidance, follow
Utah Fire Info,
InciWeb,
and local authorities.