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.
No stronger detection stands among the 113 recorded within 20 km of this point since 11 May 2026 — 19 others scored the same. The last comparable one was on 14 May 2026. 7 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 111 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 1000 MW, at high confidence, 16 km from Kongolo.
The 111 pixels cover about 15.5 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.
An estimated 58,728 people live within 50 km of this point.
Nearby, since 11 May 2026
- June 3, 2026 · score 77 · 3.1 km
- May 20, 2026 · score 77 · 4.0 km
- May 24, 2026 · score 71 · 4.5 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 77 out of 100, at 84 % 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) | 77 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 84% |
| Coordinates | -5.4046, 26.8542 |
| Nearest City | Kongolo (16 km) |
| Population Exposed | 58.7K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-15T12:08:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 1000.09 |
| PixelCount | 111 |
| Confidence | high |
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 77/100, near Kongolo (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.