27 fire pixels detected · FRP: 209 MW · ~3.8 km²
Geographic Context
This fire event occurred near Piet Retief (approximately 6 km away) in South Africa, a region where fynbos vegetation, dry winters, and strong winds create a distinct and recurring fire season. An estimated 70.1K people live within 35 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 209 MW, suggesting active, intense burning across multiple detection pixels. Calamity.live has classified it as "high" severity with a severity value of 68.852. The computed Calamity Score is 44 out of 100, reflecting a moderate-impact event. The primary scoring components are: intensity (60), population (55), 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 | 68.852 |
| Calamity Score | 44 / 100 |
| Confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -27.0072, 30.8698 |
| Nearest City | Piet Retief (6 km) |
| Population Exposed | 70.1K within 35 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-17T12:23:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 209.26000000000002 |
| PixelCount | 27 |
| Confidence | high |
| Area Km2 | 3.7800000000000002 |
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 44/100, near Piet Retief (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 196 scientific monitoring sources.