Recorded by satellite 24 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 11th strongest of the 71 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 4 June 2026. The last comparable one was on 5 August 2026. 12 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 80 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 531 MW, at nominal confidence, 90 km from Mchinji.
The 80 pixels cover about 11.2 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 4 June 2026
- August 8, 2026 · score 27 · 1.7 km
- August 4, 2026 · score 54 · 1.7 km
- July 29, 2026 · score 27 · 5.0 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 50 out of 100, at 64 % 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) | 50 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 64% |
| Coordinates | -14.6025, 32.7446 |
| Nearest City | Mchinji (90 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-06T11:13:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 353.29 |
| Frp | 531.01 |
| PixelCount | 80 |
| 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 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 50/100, near Mchinji (Malawi), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 191 scientific monitoring sources.