Recorded by satellite 55 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.
No stronger detection stands among the 77 recorded within 20 km of this point since 12 May 2026 — 18 others scored the same. Another comparable one was recorded here earlier the same day.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 260 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 2823 MW, at high confidence, 8 km from Kitwe.
The 260 pixels cover about 36.4 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 844,689 people live within 50 km of this point.
Nearby, since 12 May 2026
- June 30, 2026 · score 86 · 0.6 km
- June 20, 2026 · score 76 · 2.3 km
- June 11, 2026 · score 76 · 2.8 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 86 out of 100, at 84 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Fire |
| Severity | critical |
| Severity Value | 100 |
| Calamity Score | 86 / 100 |
| Confidence | 84% |
| Coordinates | -12.8458, 28.2712 |
| Nearest City | Kitwe (8 km) |
| Population Exposed | 844.7K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | catastrophic |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-05T15:04:30.458Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 2822.7899999999995 |
| PixelCount | 260 |
| Confidence | high |
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 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.
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 86/100, near Kitwe (Zambia), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 196 scientific monitoring sources.