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 10th strongest of the 64 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 23 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 29 August 2026.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 150 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 953 MW, at high confidence, 10 km from Mbala.
The 150 pixels cover about 21.0 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 46,179 people live within 50 km of this point.
Nearby, since 23 May 2026
- July 23, 2026 · score 72 · 5.8 km
- July 30, 2026 · score 71 · 7.3 km
- July 27, 2026 · score 39 · 7.3 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 48 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) | 48 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | -8.8866, 31.4435 |
| Nearest City | Mbala (10 km) |
| Population Exposed | 46.2K within 50 km |
| Impact Tier | significant |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-30T11:08:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 953.37 |
| PixelCount | 150 |
| 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 48/100, near Mbala (Zambia), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.