Recorded by satellite 83 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 26th strongest of the 70 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 7 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 8 June 2026. 12 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 59 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 380 MW, at high confidence, 58 km from Nsanje.
The 59 pixels cover about 8.3 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 8, 2026 · score 41 · 6.6 km
- July 9, 2026 · score 27 · 7.0 km
- June 15, 2026 · score 60 · 10.9 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 41 out of 100, at 64 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfire |
| Severity | critical |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 41 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 64% |
| Coordinates | -17.2597, 34.8505 |
| Nearest City | Nsanje (58 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-06-09T10:56:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@34.851,-17.260,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 379.99 |
| PixelCount | 59 |
| 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 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 41/100 (Malawi), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.