Recorded by satellite 98 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 3rd strongest of the 55 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 8 March 2026. The last comparable one was on 8 May 2026. One more was recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 78 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 663 MW, at nominal confidence, 117 km from Kasongo-Lunda.
The 78 pixels cover about 10.9 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 March 2026
- August 8, 2026 · score 36 · 3.1 km
- June 24, 2026 · score 46 · 8.2 km
- August 27, 2026 · score 46 · 18.3 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 54 out of 100, at 64 % 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) | 54 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 64% |
| Coordinates | -5.4334, 16.6792 |
| Nearest City | Kasongo-Lunda (117 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-25T12:21:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@16.679,-5.433,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 354.83 |
| Frp | 663.39 |
| PixelCount | 78 |
| 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 54/100 (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.