MediumPossible fireCS: 43 · v5

Possible fire 115 km from Mount Isa

CloncurryAustraliaNASA FIRMS (VIIRS)

Right now

The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 38 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.

35 satellite detections of this fire · 19 – 28 October 2026

A satellite sees a burning fire on each of its passes. This page gathers every detection of this fire; the address of each one leads here.

Day and time (UTC)Radiative powerDistance from the town
28 Oct 05:10379 MW94 km
27 Oct 04:32304 MW94 km
27 Oct 04:321,895 MW96 km
26 Oct 04:512,061 MW96 km
26 Oct 04:511,704 MW96 km
26 Oct 04:511,591 MW96 km
25 Oct 16:20470 MW96 km
25 Oct 16:201,669 MW98 km
25 Oct 16:20533 MW99 km
25 Oct 15:371,632 MW98 km
25 Oct 03:281,275 MW98 km
24 Oct 16:391,542 MW98 km
24 Oct 16:391,199 MW98 km
24 Oct 15:561,492 MW98 km
24 Oct 15:011,430 MW98 km
24 Oct 04:441,353 MW99 km
24 Oct 03:47635 MW99 km
23 Oct 16:13343 MW98 km
23 Oct 16:13379 MW98 km
23 Oct 15:18261 MW98 km
23 Oct 05:04162 MW99 km
22 Oct 05:23981 MW106 km
21 Oct 04:44945 MW106 km
21 Oct 04:443,962 MW110 km
21 Oct 04:00774 MW110 km
21 Oct 04:003,299 MW111 km
20 Oct 16:133,001 MW112 km
20 Oct 16:134,157 MW113 km
20 Oct 16:135,570 MW113 km
20 Oct 15:295,560 MW114 km

and 5 earlier detections

Distance and hazards
Only these hazards

Tick none to hear about every hazard.

One message per event, not per detection. We send a confirmation first, and every message carries a link to stop them. We store the address and the place, nothing else.

Recorded by satellite 12 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.

No stronger detection stands among the 50 recorded within 20 km of this point since 15 October 2026 — 26 others scored the same. Another comparable one was recorded here earlier the same day. 17 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.

What the source measured

NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 178 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 2747 MW, at high confidence, 115 km from Mount Isa.

The 178 pixels cover about 24.9 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.

How we know

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

Our own score for this event is 43 out of 100.

This is our versioned heuristic index, not source severity or a calibrated probability. Urban PEI does not count unique people.

Computed under scoring rules v5. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.

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.

Event data

TypePossible fire
SeverityMedium
Calamity Score (ours)43 / 100
Legacy data-support index0.54/1
Coordinates-19.7524, 139.8485
Nearest cityMount Isa (115 km)
Urban exposure index (PEI)0 within 50 km
Impact tierminor
Timestamp2026-10-19T16:35:00.000Z
Sourcehttps://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@139.848,-19.752,9z
LicenceUS public domain (NASA) · NASA FIRMS (LANCE)

Physical priority index · v5. Heuristic priority, not calibrated probability, predictive accuracy or damage. The legacy data-support index combines assigned source support and field availability. Urban PEI is distance-weighted and does not count unique people; zero does not establish that nobody is present. Model cards.

Source and revision timeline

Source: firms. Occurrence: 2026-10-19T16:35:00.000Z.

First archived: 2026-10-19T18:23:35.263Z. Material modification: 2026-10-28T19:33:20.934Z.

Retained revisions are prospective; earlier versions may be unavailable. No revision entry does not prove that a record never changed.

Score breakdown

95
intensity
0
Urban PEI term
0
Scenario weight
48
Recorded reference / batch anomaly

Technical details

Brightness367
Frp2746.9
PixelCount178
Confidencehigh

Safety information

What to do near a wildfire

A satellite saw heat here. It cannot tell a wildfire from a controlled burn or an industrial flame, and it sees nothing under thick cloud. If you see smoke or flames, call the local emergency number and follow the fire service. Evacuation orders come from local authorities, not from this page.

For this reportPossible fire · Australia

  1. Leave when told, early

    When authorities order an evacuation, go at once. Do not wait to see the flames: fire moves faster than you can run.

    Ready.gov
  2. Trapped? Call for help

    Call the emergency number and give your location. Stay in a building or a car rather than in the open, with doors and windows shut.

    Ready.gov
  3. Protect yourself from smoke

    Stay indoors with windows closed, use an air purifier if you have one, and wear an N95/FFP2 mask outside.

    AirNow · Ready.gov

Before, during, after. Here it is “after”.

Before · In fire season

  • Get the alerts

    Official alerts on your phone, so an evacuation order reaches you.

  • Plan two ways out

    Know two routes away from home and practise them.

  • Clear around the house

    Remove dry leaves, wood and anything that burns from around the walls.

  • A bag by the door

    Documents, medicines, chargers, masks, water.

Ready.gov (FEMA)

During · While the fire is near

  • Go at once if ordered

    Follow the routes authorities give.

  • Shut the smoke out

    Close windows and doors; set the air conditioning to recirculate.

  • Keep outdoor effort low

    Smoke harms lungs and heart, most of all in children, older people and those with asthma.

Ready.gov (FEMA) · AirNow

After · When the fire has passed

  • Return when it is declared safe

    Roads, trees and power lines can still be dangerous.

  • Beware hot spots

    Ash and the ground can stay hot enough to burn for days.

  • Clean up protected

    Gloves, long sleeves, sturdy shoes and a mask; wet the ash before moving it.

Ready.gov (FEMA)

If a life is in danger

000

Emergency number: Australia

Call 000

Questions people ask

Does a satellite detection mean a wildfire?

Not always. A satellite sees heat: a wildfire, a controlled burn, a flare or an industrial plant. If you see smoke or flames, call the local emergency number and follow the fire service.

Do cloth masks protect from smoke?

Not much. A well-fitting N95 (FFP2 in Europe) filters the fine particles; cloth and surgical masks let most of them through. Source: AirNow (US EPA).

When can I go home?

Only when authorities say the area is safe. Source: Ready.gov (FEMA).

Follow this area

Review the area, threshold and delivery channel in your account.

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