Recorded by satellite 17 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 52nd strongest of the 78 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 6 May 2026. Another comparable one was recorded here earlier the same day. 5 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 32 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 456 MW, at high confidence, 108 km from Kalima.
The 32 pixels cover about 4.5 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 6 May 2026
- May 20, 2026 · score 32 · 2.9 km
- May 21, 2026 · score 45 · 7.8 km
- June 11, 2026 · score 27 · 8.6 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 27 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 | high |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 27 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | -4.5508, 27.9736 |
| Nearest City | Kalima (108 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-12T23:46:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 456.27 |
| PixelCount | 32 |
| 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 27/100, near Kalima (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.