Recorded by satellite 107 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 37th strongest of the 57 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 8 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 14 May 2026. 2 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 376 MW, at nominal confidence, 128 km from Lukula.
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 8 May 2026
- May 24, 2026 · score 54 · 4.2 km
- May 19, 2026 · score 54 · 12.2 km
- August 1, 2026 · score 27 · 20.2 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 | -4.6237, 24.7575 |
| Nearest City | Lukula (128 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-15T12:08:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 353.16 |
| Frp | 376.49 |
| PixelCount | 27 |
| 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 27/100, near Lukula (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.