Right now

The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 6 minutes ago, and this point is not in it. We record detections, not passes: an absence is not proof that nothing is there.

4 other detections within 20 km in the last 24 hours, the nearest <1 km from here.

The satellite has seen heat at this spot on 33 earlier days since 17 March 2026, in 7 of the twelve months of the year. Heat that is there in every season usually comes from industry (a steelworks, a refinery flare, a gas field) or from routine burning, not from a wildfire. NASA's data do not say which.

This page covers the record dated 7 October 2026. Browse recent observations in this area:

Wildfires · Near Xichang today Near Xichang today

Recorded by satellite 4 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.

No stronger detection stands among the 24 recorded within 20 km of this point since 17 March 2026 — 3 others scored the same. The last comparable one was on 6 October 2026. 13 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.

What the source measured

NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 8 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 125 MW, at high confidence, 20 km from Xichang.

The 8 pixels cover about 1.1 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.

Urban PEI: 10,536 within a heuristic 20 km radius; not unique people.

How we know

One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.

Our own score for this event is 39 out of 100.

This is our versioned heuristic index, not source severity or a calibrated probability. Urban PEI does not count unique people.

Computed under scoring rules v5. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.

Series begins 8 March 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.

Event data

Type	Persistent heat source
Severity	Low
Calamity Score (ours)	39 / 100
Legacy data-support index	0.74/1
Coordinates	27.7294, 102.2112
Nearest city	Xichang (20 km)
Urban exposure index (PEI)	10.5K within 20 km
Impact tier	minor
Timestamp	2026-10-07T06:59:00.000Z
Source	https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@102.211,27.729,9z
Licence	US public domain (NASA) · NASA FIRMS (LANCE)

Physical priority index · v5. Heuristic priority, not calibrated probability, predictive accuracy or damage. The legacy data-support index combines assigned source support and field availability. Urban PEI is distance-weighted and does not count unique people; zero does not establish that nobody is present. Model cards.

Source and revision timeline

Source: firms. Occurrence: 2026-10-07T06:59:00.000Z.

First archived: 2026-07-22T08:04:58.091Z. Material modification: 2026-10-07T09:10:11.597Z.

Retained revisions are prospective; earlier versions may be unavailable. No revision entry does not prove that a record never changed.

2026-10-07T09:10:11.597Z · data change
Index 18 → 39; severity Medium → Low.

Safety information

Heat shows up at this spot regularly, which usually means an industrial plant or routine burning rather than a wildfire. Nothing on this page is an alert. In a real emergency, follow local authorities.

In the news nearby

A list of links found by GDELT for this place and this hazard in the last seven days. External, not ours: we have not read them and do not vouch for them.

No news is listed: GDELT was not available when this page was rendered.

GDELT Project · gdeltproject.org

Brightness	367
Frp	124.69
PixelCount	8
Confidence	high

Persistent heat source near Xichang, China