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 4th strongest of the 66 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 29 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 1 September 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 284 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 2386 MW, at high confidence, 42 km from Kariba.
The 284 pixels cover about 39.8 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 4,349 people live within 50 km of this point.
This is the highest radiative power we have recorded at this point, over 34 readings since 2 September 2026 — the previous range was 2,259 MW to 2,386 MW.
Nearby, since 29 May 2026
- August 30, 2026 · score 63 · 9.4 km
- September 1, 2026 · score 55 · 9.7 km
- August 8, 2026 · score 44 · 11.0 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 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) | 50 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -16.4618, 29.1904 |
| Nearest City | Kariba (42 km) |
| Population Exposed | 4.3K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-09-02T00:13:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@29.190,-16.462,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 2386.36 |
| PixelCount | 284 |
| 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 50/100 (Zimbabwe), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.