24 fire pixels detected · FRP: 38 MW · ~3.4 km²
Geographic Context
This fire event occurred near Emalahleni (approximately 16 km away) in South Africa, an area that experiences a range of natural hazards. An estimated 249.0K people live within 35 km of the event location, placing this in the "severe" population impact tier.
Event Assessment
This event is a wildfire detected across 24 satellite thermal detection pixels, indicating an active fire zone. Calamity.live has classified it as "high" severity with a severity value of 31.554. The computed Calamity Score is 39 out of 100, suggesting contained impact at this time. The primary scoring components are: population (70), intensity (40), historical (20). Data for this event was sourced from firms, one of the 250 scientific monitoring sources aggregated by Calamity.live.
Regional Monitoring Context
South Africa has a documented history of fire events. Wildfire activity in the region is monitored through NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System), which provides near-real-time active fire data from MODIS and VIIRS satellites. Fire behavior is influenced by vegetation type, moisture content, wind patterns, and terrain — all factors that determine whether an initial ignition becomes a major event.
Event Data
| Type | Fire |
| Severity | high |
| Severity Value | 31.554 |
| Calamity Score | 39 / 100 |
| Confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -26.0042, 29.2818 |
| Nearest City | Emalahleni (16 km) |
| Population Exposed | 249.0K within 35 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-01T23:37:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Frp | 37.769999999999996 |
| Area Km2 | 3.3600000000000003 |
| Brightness | 335.32 |
| Confidence | nominal |
| PixelCount | 24 |
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.
This data is aggregated algorithmically from scientific sources. Not a replacement for official emergency warnings.
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 39/100, near Emalahleni (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 197 scientific monitoring sources.