Wildfires near Potchefstroom
Right now
The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 8 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 44 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 2nd strongest of the 37 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 16 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 18 July 2026. 6 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 32 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 609 MW, at nominal confidence, 14 km from Potchefstroom.
The 32 pixels cover about 4.5 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 156,757 people live within 35 km of this point.
Wind from ENE at 16 km/h at 22:00 UTC, according to MET Norway.
Nearby, since 16 May 2026
- July 6, 2026 · score 48 · 10.1 km
- June 15, 2026 · score 71 · 12.2 km
- May 29, 2026 · score 39 · 13.6 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 71 out of 100, at 84 % 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.
Under rules v1–v3, Critical for a wildfire measured only the radiative power the satellite saw, not the people near it; since v4 (1 September 2026) it also requires exposed population. This page keeps the word it was published with.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfires |
| Severity | Critical |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 71 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 84% |
| Coordinates | -26.7979, 26.9938 |
| Nearest City | Potchefstroom (14 km) |
| Population Exposed | 156.8K within 35 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-23T12:10:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@26.994,-26.798,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 350.92 |
| Frp | 608.79 |
| PixelCount | 32 |
| Confidence | nominal |
Cascade Risks
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 Potchefstroom?
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.
GDELT did not answer when this page was rendered, so no news is listed.
GDELT Project · gdeltproject.org
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 71/100, near Potchefstroom (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.