Large Wildfire
Recorded by satellite 120 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 15th strongest of the 26 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 7 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 7 May 2026. One more was recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 25 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 45 MW, at high confidence, 580 km from Darwin.
The 25 pixels cover about 3.5 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.
Wind from NE at 10 km/h at 08:00 UTC, according to MET Norway.
Nearby, since 7 May 2026
- May 7, 2026 · score 31 · 1.9 km
- May 8, 2026 · score 45 · 2.8 km
- May 9, 2026 · score 45 · 3.6 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 31 out of 100, at 64 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Wind: MET Norway Locationforecast, CC BY 4.0.
Computed under scoring rules v1. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfires |
| Severity | High |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 31 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 64% |
| Coordinates | -17.1262, 128.4317 |
| Nearest City | Darwin (580 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Date | 2026-05-08 — time not reported by the source |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@128.432,-17.126,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 45.01 |
| PixelCount | 25 |
| Confidence | high |
Cascade Risks
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 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.
Want to know when something happens in this area?
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 31/100, based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.