Recorded by satellite yesterday.
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 29th strongest of the 70 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 26 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 30 August 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 14 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 278 MW, at high confidence, 105 km from Samfya.
The 14 pixels cover about 2.0 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.
Nearby, since 26 May 2026
- June 15, 2026 · score 60 · 2.6 km
- July 11, 2026 · score 50 · 4.0 km
- July 10, 2026 · score 54 · 4.3 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 27 out of 100, at 54 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfire |
| Severity | high |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 27 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | -11.9909, 30.2795 |
| Nearest City | Samfya (105 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-31T10:49:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@30.280,-11.991,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 277.91 |
| PixelCount | 14 |
| 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 in this area?
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 27/100 (Zambia), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.