Recorded by satellite today.
A thermal anomaly is a snapshot of one satellite pass, not a record of a fire’s life: we cannot say whether it kept burning after that pass.
It is the 36th strongest of the 92 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 11 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 31 August 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 159 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 1681 MW, at high confidence, 29 km from Kolwezi.
The 159 pixels cover about 22.3 km² — that is the footprint of the detection grid at 375 m resolution, not an estimate of how much land burned.
FIRMS does not report burned area, and neither do we.
An estimated 330,627 people live within 50 km of this point.
Nearby, since 11 May 2026
- June 10, 2026 · score 81 · 4.9 km
- July 6, 2026 · score 81 · 5.9 km
- June 16, 2026 · score 81 · 6.5 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 64 out of 100, at 74 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfire |
| Severity | critical |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 64 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -10.4614, 25.3874 |
| Nearest City | Kolwezi (29 km) |
| Population Exposed | 330.6K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-09-01T12:12:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@25.387,-10.461,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 1681.22 |
| PixelCount | 159 |
| Confidence | high |
Safety Information
If a wildfire is approaching: follow evacuation orders immediately. Do not wait to see the fire. Close all windows and doors, remove combustible materials from around your home, and have an emergency go-bag ready. Air quality can deteriorate rapidly even at distance from the fire front — monitor local air quality advisories.
Series begins 10 February 2026. Comparisons refer to that period only. Collection gap: 14-26 August 2026.
This data is aggregated algorithmically from scientific sources. Not a replacement for official emergency warnings.
Want to know when something happens near Kolwezi?
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 64/100, near Kolwezi (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.