Right now
The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 6 minutes ago, and this point is not in it. We record detections, not passes: an absence is not proof that nothing is there.
Nothing else has been detected within 20 km in the last 24 hours.
Recorded by satellite 31 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 33rd strongest of the 50 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 3 July 2026. The last comparable one was on 4 August 2026. 15 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 235 MW, at nominal confidence, 9 km from Messica.
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.
An estimated 18,432 people live within 35 km of this point.
Wind from SSE at 6 km/h at 01:00 UTC, according to MET Norway.
Nearby, since 3 July 2026
- July 19, 2026 · score 39 · 7.1 km
- July 31, 2026 · score 62 · 7.8 km
- July 24, 2026 · score 62 · 8.8 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 39 out of 100, at 74 % 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) | 39 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -18.9508, 33.1583 |
| Nearest City | Messica (9 km) |
| Population Exposed | 18.4K within 35 km |
| Impact Tier | significant |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-05T11:30:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@33.158,-18.951,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 353.86 |
| Frp | 234.68 |
| PixelCount | 23 |
| 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 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 near Messica?
In the news nearby
A list of links found by GDELT for this place and this hazard in the last seven days. External, not ours: we have not read them and do not vouch for them.
No news is listed: GDELT was not available when this page was rendered.
GDELT Project · gdeltproject.org
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 39/100, near Messica (Mozambique), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.