Recorded by satellite 58 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 9th strongest of the 43 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 12 June 2026. The last comparable one was on 4 July 2026. 14 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 44 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 254 MW, at nominal confidence, 52 km from Lilongwe.
The 44 pixels cover about 6.2 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 12 June 2026
- June 30, 2026 · score 41 · 1.3 km
- July 14, 2026 · score 27 · 2.3 km
- June 26, 2026 · score 27 · 2.4 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.
Computed under scoring rules v1. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfires |
| Severity | High |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 27 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | -14.3703, 33.5471 |
| Nearest City | Lilongwe (52 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-05T11:10:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@33.547,-14.370,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 348.75 |
| Frp | 254.07 |
| PixelCount | 44 |
| Confidence | nominal |
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 in this area?
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 27/100 (Malawi), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.