Recorded by satellite 98 days ago.
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 45th strongest of the 108 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 11 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 25 May 2026. 15 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 157 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 947 MW, at nominal confidence, 9 km from Kolwezi.
The 157 pixels cover about 22.0 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 642,995 people live within 50 km of this point.
Nearby, since 11 May 2026
- May 26, 2026 · score 80 · 3.9 km
- May 27, 2026 · score 86 · 4.0 km
- May 28, 2026 · score 86 · 4.9 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 76 out of 100, at 84 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Computed under scoring rules v1. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.
Under rules v1–v3, Critical for a wildfire measured only the radiative power the satellite saw, not the people near it; since v4 (1 September 2026) it also requires exposed population. This page keeps the word it was published with.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfires |
| Severity | Critical |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 76 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 84% |
| Coordinates | -10.6910, 25.5531 |
| Nearest City | Kolwezi (9 km) |
| Population Exposed | 643.0K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | catastrophic |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-26T12:02:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@25.553,-10.691,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 353.85 |
| Frp | 946.93 |
| PixelCount | 157 |
| Confidence | nominal |
Cascade Risks
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 8 March 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 76/100, near Kolwezi (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.