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 25th strongest of the 59 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 7 May 2026. Another comparable one was recorded here earlier the same day.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 35 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 358 MW, at nominal confidence, 88 km from Nsanje.
The 35 pixels cover about 4.9 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 7 May 2026
- June 5, 2026 · score 54 · 8.1 km
- July 2, 2026 · score 50 · 10.7 km
- June 18, 2026 · score 27 · 11.7 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 | -17.2221, 34.4932 |
| Nearest City | Nsanje (88 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-31T23:37:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@34.493,-17.222,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 355.68 |
| Frp | 358.09 |
| PixelCount | 35 |
| Confidence | nominal |
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.
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 27/100 (Malawi), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.