Satellite heat detection near Nsanje, Malawi
Right now
The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 37 minutes ago, and this point is not in it. We record detections, not passes: an absence is not proof that nothing is there.
2 other detections within 20 km in the last 24 hours, the nearest 16 km from here.
31 satellite detections of this fire · 13 – 20 June 2026
A satellite sees a burning fire on each of its passes. This page gathers every detection of this fire; the address of each one leads here.
| Day and time (UTC) | Radiative power | Distance from Nsanje |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 10:49 | 119 MW | 102 km |
| 20 Jun 10:49 | 169 MW | 104 km |
| 20 Jun 10:49 | 110 MW | 18 km |
| 20 Jun 10:49 | 310 MW | 4 km |
| 20 Jun 10:49 | 204 MW | 23 km |
| 20 Jun 10:49 | 344 MW | 5 km |
| 19 Jun 11:10 | 114 MW | 19 km |
| 18 Jun 11:28 | 105 MW | 77 km |
| 16 Jun 12:06 | 959 MW | 56 km |
| 16 Jun 12:06 | 188 MW | 101 km |
| 16 Jun 12:06 | 139 MW | 26 km |
| 16 Jun 10:26 | 909 MW | 55 km |
| 15 Jun 10:43 | 1,359 MW | 57 km |
| 15 Jun 10:43 | 882 MW | 55 km |
| 15 Jun 10:43 | 187 MW | 107 km |
| 15 Jun 10:43 | 202 MW | 100 km |
| 15 Jun 10:43 | 105 MW | 37 km |
| 15 Jun 10:43 | 372 MW | 13 km |
| 14 Jun 11:04 | 290 MW | 73 km |
| 14 Jun 11:04 | 520 MW | 50 km |
| 14 Jun 11:04 | 931 MW | 103 km |
| 14 Jun 11:04 | 182 MW | 99 km |
| 14 Jun 11:04 | 295 MW | 10 km |
| 14 Jun 11:04 | 461 MW | 13 km |
| 13 Jun 22:31 | 643 MW | 108 km |
| 13 Jun 11:21 | 612 MW | 106 km |
| 13 Jun 11:21 | 729 MW | 107 km |
| 13 Jun 11:21 | 279 MW | 51 km |
| 13 Jun 11:21 | 459 MW | 26 km |
| 13 Jun 11:21 | 128 MW | 17 km |
and 1 earlier detections
This page covers the record dated 13 June 2026. Browse recent observations in this area:
Recorded by satellite 136 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 17th strongest of the 46 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 13 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 13 May 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 84 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 459 MW, at nominal confidence, 26 km from Nsanje.
The 84 pixels cover about 11.8 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.
Urban PEI: 14,501 within a heuristic 50 km radius; not unique people.
Nearby, since 13 May 2026
- October 13, 2026 · 5.9 km
- September 14, 2026 · 13.1 km
- September 16, 2026 · 15.0 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 53 out of 100.
This is our versioned heuristic index, not source severity or a calibrated probability. Urban PEI does not count unique people.
Computed under scoring rules v1. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.
Archived as “Critical” under the rule in force until 4 October 2026, which read the radiative power and the people nearby. A satellite sees heat, not an emergency: since then every detection is shown as low or medium; this one as “Medium”.
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.
Event data
| Type | Satellite heat detection |
| Severity | Medium |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 53 / 100 |
| Legacy data-support index | 0.84/1 |
| Coordinates | -17.1081, 35.1139 |
| Nearest city | Nsanje (26 km) |
| Urban exposure index (PEI) | 14.5K within 50 km |
| Impact tier | significant |
| Timestamp | 2026-06-13T11:21:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@35.114,-17.108,9z |
| Licence | US public domain (NASA) · NASA FIRMS (LANCE) |
Physical priority index · v1. Heuristic priority, not calibrated probability, predictive accuracy or damage. The legacy data-support index combines assigned source support and field availability. Urban PEI is distance-weighted and does not count unique people; zero does not establish that nobody is present. Model cards.
Source and revision timeline
Source: firms. Occurrence: 2026-06-13T11:21:00.000Z.
First archived: 2026-06-13T23:56:57.093Z. Material modification: 2026-06-21T23:58:50.967Z.
Retained revisions are prospective; earlier versions may be unavailable. No revision entry does not prove that a record never changed.
Score breakdown
Technical details
| Brightness | 351.81 |
| Frp | 458.55 |
| PixelCount | 84 |
| Confidence | nominal |
Safety information
What to do near a wildfire
A satellite saw heat here. It cannot tell a wildfire from a controlled burn or an industrial flame, and it sees nothing under thick cloud. If you see smoke or flames, call the local emergency number and follow the fire service. Evacuation orders come from local authorities, not from this page.
For this reportSatellite heat detection · Nsanje
Leave when told, early
When authorities order an evacuation, go at once. Do not wait to see the flames: fire moves faster than you can run.
Ready.govTrapped? Call for help
Call the emergency number and give your location. Stay in a building or a car rather than in the open, with doors and windows shut.
Ready.govProtect yourself from smoke
Stay indoors with windows closed, use an air purifier if you have one, and wear an N95/FFP2 mask outside.
AirNow · Ready.gov
Before, during, after. Here it is “after”.
Before · In fire season
Get the alerts
Official alerts on your phone, so an evacuation order reaches you.
Plan two ways out
Know two routes away from home and practise them.
Clear around the house
Remove dry leaves, wood and anything that burns from around the walls.
A bag by the door
Documents, medicines, chargers, masks, water.
Ready.gov (FEMA)
During · While the fire is near
Go at once if ordered
Follow the routes authorities give.
Shut the smoke out
Close windows and doors; set the air conditioning to recirculate.
Keep outdoor effort low
Smoke harms lungs and heart, most of all in children, older people and those with asthma.
Ready.gov (FEMA) · AirNow
After · When the fire has passed
Return when it is declared safe
Roads, trees and power lines can still be dangerous.
Beware hot spots
Ash and the ground can stay hot enough to burn for days.
Clean up protected
Gloves, long sleeves, sturdy shoes and a mask; wet the ash before moving it.
Ready.gov (FEMA)
If a life is in danger
Call your local emergency number
Questions people ask
Does a satellite detection mean a wildfire?
Not always. A satellite sees heat: a wildfire, a controlled burn, a flare or an industrial plant. If you see smoke or flames, call the local emergency number and follow the fire service.
Do cloth masks protect from smoke?
Not much. A well-fitting N95 (FFP2 in Europe) filters the fine particles; cloth and surgical masks let most of them through. Source: AirNow (US EPA).
When can I go home?
Only when authorities say the area is safe. Source: Ready.gov (FEMA).
Review the area, threshold and delivery channel in your account.
In the news nearby
A list of links found by GDELT for this place and this hazard in the last seven days. External, not ours: we have not read them and do not vouch for them.
No news is listed: GDELT was not available when this page was rendered.
GDELT Project · gdeltproject.org