Jiří Filip In the Czech Republic, 19,089 fires were recorded in 2025, which is an 8,3% year-on-year increase. International CTIF data also shows that a total of 3,7 million fires were recorded in 2022 in 55 monitored countries. In the case of fires, storms or other dangerous situations, it is not only important where exactly the event occurs, but also what the weather is like in the given area and how it will develop. Ventusky is now responding to this, having expanded its meteorological platform with new elements focused on risk phenomena. The application now displays fires captured by satellites, official fire incidents and official meteorological and hydrological warnings.
This new feature makes the most sense mainly because it links risk events with the current meteorological situation. The user can monitor not only the fire itself or the issued warning, but also wind, humidity, precipitation, temperature, satellite images or air quality. These factors can fundamentally affect how quickly a fire spreads, where the smoke moves, how intense a storm can be or which areas need to be given increased attention.
The new fire icons in Ventusky are displayed directly on regular maps, similar to webcams, which can also be useful when monitoring the situation in the field. The fire icons are based on several sources. Global detection uses NASA FIRMS data based on VIIRS satellite measurements and is supplemented by observations from the geostationary MTG and Himawari satellites. In the United States, Canada and Australia, Ventusky also displays official fire incidents reported by fire agencies. These can include data on the affected area, fire intensity, number of firefighters deployed, fuel type or percentage of control. Controlled burns are also distinguished from uncontrolled fires.
Another new feature this year are official warnings against dangerous phenomena, which come from national meteorological and hydrological services. They are available in Ventusky as a separate layer "Warnings" and warn about, for example, strong winds, thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, floods, snow, ice, extreme temperatures or fire weather. The user does not have to search for such warnings, because they can be immediately notified of them for the monitored locations.
Ventusky is not intended to replace official crisis communication, but it can provide quick and clear visual context for residents, journalists, local authorities and emergency services as the situation begins to develop. The application uses this informationmace is displayed in a clean interface without ads, and key data about fires and alerts is available even without a paid subscription.
- Ventusky is available at ventusky.com, V App Store and Google Play.
