Recorded by satellite 44 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 8th strongest of the 48 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 8 March 2026. The last comparable one was on 16 July 2026. 4 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 95 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 2725 MW, at high confidence, 119 km from Kasongo-Lunda.
The 95 pixels cover about 13.3 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 5, 2026 · score 46 · 11.3 km
- May 23, 2026 · score 27 · 11.8 km
- May 22, 2026 · score 27 · 18.2 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 46 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 | critical |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 46 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | -5.4983, 16.3863 |
| Nearest City | Kasongo-Lunda (119 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-07-17T12:29:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 2725.08 |
| PixelCount | 95 |
| 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 46/100, near Kasongo-Lunda (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.