Tracking fires in Hendricks, Indiana | WFCA Fire Map - Western Fire Chiefs Association

Tracking Fire Activity in Hendricks County and Beyond Through the WFCA Fire Map

Wildfire tracking has entered a more integrated digital space as the Western Fire Chiefs Association operates its real-time fire map, a resource utilized for monitoring active incidents, tracking perimeters, and reviewing live emergency dispatch data across regions including the western United States and Alaska. The platform, detailed at wfca.com/fire-map, aggregates satellite detections and meteorological data to provide situational awareness for residents and public safety officials alike.

Data Feeds and Satellite Technology Powering the Map

The map functions by combining multiple streams of satellite intelligence and ground-level telemetry. Detections rely on polar-orbiting thermal sensors from NASA FIRMS, including VIIRS, MODIS, and Landsat, alongside geostationary monitoring from NOAA’s GOES satellites, which provide five-minute refresh rates.

To reduce false positives, the system integrates Satellites on Fire, an artificial intelligence verification layer that fuses these multi-satellite inputs to establish higher-resolution perimeters and active fire locations. Official incident records from IRWIN and federal FEDS perimeters track growth and containment status, while local emergency response integrates live 911 dispatch calls for fire, medical, and other incidents via PulsePoint.

Meteorological Integration and Specialized Forecasts

Beyond thermal detection, the platform incorporates atmospheric data to contextualize active incidents. The National Weather Service and NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center supply live fire-weather warnings, including Red Flag Warnings, alongside wind and humidity metrics.

Fire weather days are on the rise with western states seeing the biggest increase

Additional layers provide smoke and lightning observations, short-range spread forecasts for specific regions via tools like FIRIS, and live feeds from firefighting aircraft tracked through maintained allowlists of wildfire-tasked tail numbers. Users can also access real-time feeds from camera networks such as ALERTCalifornia and ALERTWest for visual confirmation of smoke and active flames.

While the map aggregates extensive data from federal, state, and local sources, dispatch locations and boundary parameters remain approximate. The platform notes that no representation or warranty is provided regarding the absolute timeliness, accuracy, or completeness of the displayed information.