Wildfires in Congo - Kinshasa
Right now
The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 33 minutes ago, and this point is in it.
Nothing else has been detected within 20 km in the last 24 hours.
Recorded by satellite today.
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 18 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 29 June 2026. The last comparable one was on 5 September 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 491 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 5432 MW, at high confidence, 44 km from Mbanza-Ngungu.
The 491 pixels cover about 68.7 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.
An estimated 17,947 people live within 50 km of this point.
Wind from WSW at 14 km/h at 04:00 UTC, according to MET Norway.
This is the highest radiative power we have recorded at this point, over 41 readings since 8 September 2026 — the previous range was 5,418 MW to 5,432 MW.
Nearby, since 29 June 2026
- August 26, 2026 · score 44 · 3.6 km
- August 5, 2026 · score 52 · 6.1 km
- July 22, 2026 · score 63 · 19.4 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 55 out of 100, at 74 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Wind: MET Norway Locationforecast, CC BY 4.0.
Computed under scoring rules v4. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfires |
| Severity | Critical |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 55 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -4.9800, 14.5829 |
| Nearest City | Mbanza-Ngungu (44 km) |
| Population Exposed | 17.9K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | significant |
| Timestamp | 2026-09-08T00:01:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@14.583,-4.980,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 5431.97 |
| PixelCount | 491 |
| 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 8 March 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.
Want to know when something happens in this area?
In the news nearby
A list of links found by GDELT for this place and this hazard in the last seven days. External, not ours: we have not read them and do not vouch for them.
No news is listed: GDELT was not available when this page was rendered.
GDELT Project · gdeltproject.org
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 55/100 (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 185 scientific monitoring sources.