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 42nd strongest of the 76 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 6 June 2026. The last comparable one was on 31 August 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 138 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 1646 MW, at high confidence, 19 km from Mapalo.
The 138 pixels cover about 19.3 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 362,482 people live within 50 km of this point.
Nearby, since 6 June 2026
- August 30, 2026 · score 67 · 8.4 km
- July 3, 2026 · score 48 · 8.6 km
- June 8, 2026 · score 48 · 9.9 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 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 | -12.7773, 28.7280 |
| Nearest City | Mapalo (19 km) |
| Population Exposed | 362.5K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-09-01T11:25:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@28.728,-12.777,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 1646.33 |
| PixelCount | 138 |
| 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 Mapalo?
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 64/100, near Mapalo (Zambia), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.