Detected once by satellite, 165 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 20th strongest of the 31 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 11 March 2026. The last comparable one was on 17 March 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 5 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 257 MW, at nominal confidence, 17 km from Piet Retief.
The 5 pixels cover about 0.7 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 12,650 people live within 20 km of this point.
Nearby, since 11 March 2026
- July 14, 2026 · score 39 · 5.6 km
- July 23, 2026 · score 27 · 8.2 km
- July 16, 2026 · score 39 · 8.3 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 39 out of 100, at 58 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Fire |
| Severity | high |
| Severity Value | 56.467999999999996 |
| Calamity Score | 39 / 100 |
| Confidence | 58% |
| Coordinates | -27.1351, 30.7112 |
| Nearest City | Piet Retief (17 km) |
| Population Exposed | 12.7K within 20 km |
| Impact Tier | significant |
| Timestamp | 2026-03-18T11:49:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 350.88 |
| Frp | 257.34 |
| PixelCount | 5 |
| 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 10 February 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.
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 39/100, near Piet Retief (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 196 scientific monitoring sources.