Recorded by satellite yesterday.
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 5th strongest of the 51 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 14 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 28 August 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 82 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 964 MW, at high confidence, 133 km from Kasongo.
The 82 pixels cover about 11.5 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.
Nearby, since 14 May 2026
- July 1, 2026 · score 27 · 11.2 km
- August 10, 2026 · score 27 · 13.6 km
- May 28, 2026 · score 27 · 20.8 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 36 out of 100, at 54 % 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) | 36 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | -4.0440, 27.8023 |
| Nearest City | Kasongo (133 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-29T12:23:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 963.5 |
| PixelCount | 82 |
| Confidence | high |
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 36/100, near Kasongo (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.