Recorded by satellite 23 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.
No stronger detection stands among the 22 recorded within 20 km of this point since 12 May 2026 — one other scored the same. The last comparable one was on 6 August 2026. 5 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 27 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 555 MW, at high confidence, 52 km from Ncotshane.
The 27 pixels cover about 3.8 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.
Nearby, since 12 May 2026
- August 6, 2026 · score 50 · 1.5 km
- July 19, 2026 · score 27 · 13.6 km
- July 18, 2026 · score 27 · 17.6 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 50 out of 100, at 64 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfire |
| Severity | critical |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 50 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 64% |
| Coordinates | -27.8078, 31.6215 |
| Nearest City | Ncotshane (52 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-07T10:49:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 554.61 |
| PixelCount | 27 |
| Confidence | high |
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 50/100, near Ncotshane (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 191 scientific monitoring sources.