Real-time coverage of wildfires event — Crews Rd (10) Wildfire, Clay, Florida — Pandita Data.
🔥 OPEN LIVE 3D WILDFIRE GLOBEA wildfire ignited near Crews Road in Clay County, Florida (29.886°N, 81.633°W) on April 20, 2026, posing immediate threats to air quality and structures across Northeast Florida. The fire's proximity to Jacksonville's metropolitan area and residential zones elevates evacuation and public health risk. Real-time satellite thermal imagery from NOAA and NASA confirms active combustion, with smoke dispersal patterns driven by prevailing easterly winds typical of spring conditions in the region.
Florida's wildfire season peaks in spring and early summer when winter precipitation declines, vegetation dries, and afternoon heating increases atmospheric instability. The Crews Rd fire occurs in scrub and longleaf pine ecosystems common to central Florida—fuel types that burn rapidly and create intense surface flames. Relative humidity in April averages 65–75% in Jacksonville, but afternoon values can drop to 35–45%, accelerating fire spread.
Wind-driven propagation is the dominant fire behavior mechanism. Northeast Florida experiences steady 8–15 knot winds from the east-northeast during April, which compress the flame front and push smoke plumes toward the west and inland areas. These winds also increase oxygen supply to the fire, intensifying combustion rates. The fire's location at 29.886°N places it in Florida's subtropical climate zone, where lightning-ignition risk and human-caused ignition remain elevated from March through June.
Smoke composition includes particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds. PM2.5—particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers—penetrate deep into lung tissue and pose respiratory and cardiovascular risks, particularly for children, elderly populations, and those with asthma or heart disease.
Pandita Data integrates real-time thermal imaging from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite and NASA's MODIS instruments to detect active fire pixels and map fire extent. Thermal anomalies appear as bright signatures in infrared bands (11 µm and 12 µm), indicating temperatures exceeding 400 K at the fire front. Automated fire detection algorithms flag pixels meeting brightness temperature thresholds, enabling near-real-time perimeter mapping within 15 minutes of satellite overpass.
NOAA's HRRR (High-Resolution Rapid Refresh) model assimilates wind, temperature, and moisture data to forecast smoke plume transport and dispersion. The simulation displays predicted PM2.5 concentrations across a 12–36 hour window, helping emergency managers identify populations downwind of smoke impact. Fire progression is estimated using fuel moisture models (NFDRS) and observed wind patterns.
Florida experiences 2,000–3,000 fires annually, consuming 50,000–300,000 acres depending on drought severity. Spring fires in Northeast Florida typically occur in scrub and flatwoods ecosystems, with human activity (debris burning, equipment use) accounting for 40–50% of ignitions. Clay County's proximity to Jacksonville (pop. ~900,000) elevates evacuation complexity and air quality health impacts across a major metropolitan area.