Calamity
criticalWildfireCalamity Score: 62

Wildfire near Karoi

ZimbabweNASA FIRMS (VIIRS)

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 5th strongest of the 48 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 27 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 28 August 2026.

What the source measured

NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 40 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 635 MW, at high confidence, 24 km from Karoi.

The 40 pixels cover about 5.6 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 12,149 people live within 35 km of this point.

Nearby, since 27 May 2026

How we know

One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.

Our own score for this event is 62 out of 100, at 84 % confidence.

The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.

Event Data

TypeWildfire
Severitycritical
Calamity Score (ours)62 / 100
Our confidence84%
Coordinates-17.0217, 29.7137
Nearest CityKaroi (24 km)
Population Exposed12.1K within 35 km
Impact Tiersignificant
Timestamp2026-08-30T11:06:00.000Z

Score Breakdown

80
intensity
40
population
70
cascading
40
historical

Technical Details

Brightness367
Frp635.16
PixelCount40
Confidencehigh

Cascade Risks

air quality emergency

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.

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Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 62/100, near Karoi (Zimbabwe), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.

Karoi wildfire, 30 August 2026 — and the 47 before it | Calamity.live