Recorded by satellite 166 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 7 recorded within 20 km of this point since 14 March 2026 — 2 others scored the same. The last comparable one was on 14 March 2026. 2 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 17 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 153 MW, at nominal confidence, 64 km from Businga.
The 17 pixels cover about 2.4 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.
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 27 out of 100, at 38 % confidence.
The score is ours, computed from intensity, exposed population and local history — not the source’s.
Event Data
| Type | Wildfire |
| Severity | high |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 27 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 38% |
| Coordinates | 3.4719, 20.3302 |
| Nearest City | Businga (64 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-03-18T11:57:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@20.330,3.472,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 344.15 |
| Frp | 153.02 |
| PixelCount | 17 |
| Confidence | nominal |
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.
Want to know when something happens near Businga?
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 27/100 (DR Congo), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.