Recorded by satellite 102 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 13th strongest of the 87 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 6 May 2026. The last comparable one was on 19 May 2026. 3 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 29 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 505 MW, at high confidence, 121 km from Malemba-Nkulu.
The 29 pixels cover about 4.1 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 6 May 2026
- July 7, 2026 · score 41 · 7.0 km
- June 13, 2026 · score 54 · 7.4 km
- June 12, 2026 · score 54 · 7.6 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 | -9.0822, 27.1277 |
| Nearest City | Malemba-Nkulu (121 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-20T12:14:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 505.04 |
| PixelCount | 29 |
| 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 54/100, near Malemba-Nkulu (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 191 scientific monitoring sources.