Recorded by satellite 71 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 19 recorded within 20 km of this point since 6 May 2026 — 5 others scored the same. The last comparable one was on 21 June 2026. One more was recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 18 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 418 MW, at high confidence, 140 km from Nyimba.
The 18 pixels cover about 2.5 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 6 May 2026
- July 6, 2026 · score 27 · 4.9 km
- May 14, 2026 · score 27 · 19.4 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.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfire |
| Severity | high |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 27 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | -15.7859, 31.1089 |
| Nearest City | Nyimba (140 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-06-22T11:53:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@31.109,-15.786,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 417.97 |
| PixelCount | 18 |
| 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.