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 15th strongest of the 74 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 6 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 29 August 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 85 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 721 MW, at nominal confidence, 40 km from Mbuji-Mayi.
The 85 pixels cover about 11.9 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.
An estimated 428,419 people live within 50 km of this point.
Nearby, since 6 May 2026
- August 30, 2026 · score 62 · 5.6 km
- June 19, 2026 · score 27 · 10.2 km
- June 20, 2026 · score 53 · 12.1 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 57 out of 100, at 74 % 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) | 57 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -5.8122, 23.7347 |
| Nearest City | Mbuji-Mayi (40 km) |
| Population Exposed | 428.4K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-30T11:10:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 349.75 |
| Frp | 721.42 |
| PixelCount | 85 |
| Confidence | nominal |
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 57/100, near Mbuji-Mayi (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.