Recorded by satellite 30 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 36 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 4 July 2026. Another comparable one was recorded here earlier the same day. 9 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 23 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 384 MW, at high confidence, 51 km from Chinhoyi.
The 23 pixels cover about 3.2 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 July 2026
- August 11, 2026 · score 50 · 5.6 km
- August 6, 2026 · score 27 · 7.6 km
- August 27, 2026 · score 68 · 12.6 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 | -16.9152, 30.2357 |
| Nearest City | Chinhoyi (51 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-02T12:25:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@30.236,-16.915,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 383.8 |
| PixelCount | 23 |
| 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 (Zimbabwe), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.