Recorded by satellite 100 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 16th strongest of the 64 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 9 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 11 May 2026. 8 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 8 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 148 MW, at nominal confidence, 46 km from Ulundi.
The 8 pixels cover about 1.1 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 9 May 2026
- August 9, 2026 · score 49 · 7.2 km
- June 29, 2026 · score 27 · 10.1 km
- July 28, 2026 · score 27 · 12.4 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 40 out of 100, at 48 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfire |
| Severity | high |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 40 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 48% |
| Coordinates | -28.4821, 30.9742 |
| Nearest City | Ulundi (46 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-22T11:30:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 354.31 |
| Frp | 147.74 |
| PixelCount | 8 |
| 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 40/100, near Ulundi (South Africa), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.