19 fire pixels detected · FRP: 133 MW · ~2.7 km²
Geographic Context
This fire event occurred near Benoni (approximately 7 km away) in South Africa, a region where fynbos vegetation, dry winters, and strong winds create a distinct and recurring fire season. An estimated 886.1K people live within 20 km of the event location, placing this in the "severe" population impact tier.
Event Assessment
This event is a significant wildfire detected by satellite with a fire radiative power of 133 MW, suggesting active, intense burning across multiple detection pixels. Calamity.live has classified it as "high" severity with a severity value of 45.608000000000004. The computed Calamity Score is 53 out of 100, reflecting a moderate-impact event. The primary scoring components are: population (85), intensity (60), historical (30). Data for this event was sourced from firms, one of the 196 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 | 45.608000000000004 |
| Calamity Score | 53 / 100 |
| Confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -26.1523, 28.3731 |
| Nearest City | Benoni (7 km) |
| Population Exposed | 886.1K within 20 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-23T12:12:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 133.04000000000002 |
| PixelCount | 19 |
| Confidence | high |
| Area Km2 | 2.66 |
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 53/100, near Benoni (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 196 scientific monitoring sources.