Right now
The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 3 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 61 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 29th strongest of the 52 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 6 June 2026. The last comparable one was on 5 July 2026. 4 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 13 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 169 MW, at nominal confidence, 19 km from Lydenburg.
The 13 pixels cover about 1.8 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 2,962 people live within 20 km of this point.
Wind from ESE at 21 km/h at 20:00 UTC, according to MET Norway.
Nearby, since 6 June 2026
- July 7, 2026 · score 39 · 7.9 km
- July 8, 2026 · score 62 · 8.1 km
- August 30, 2026 · score 62 · 9.2 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 35 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) | 35 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -24.9309, 30.4447 |
| Nearest City | Lydenburg (19 km) |
| Population Exposed | 3.0K within 20 km |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-07T12:10:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@30.445,-24.931,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 356.62 |
| Frp | 169.41 |
| PixelCount | 13 |
| 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 Lydenburg?
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 35/100, near Lydenburg (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.