Wildfire near Santa Rosa Beach
Recorded by satellite 106 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 10th strongest of the 510 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 25 February 2024. The last comparable one was on 16 May 2026. 5 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 46 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 1382 MW, at high confidence, 19 km from Santa Rosa Beach.
The 46 pixels cover about 6.4 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.
An estimated 14,585 people live within 35 km of this point.
Nearby, since 25 February 2024
- May 18, 2026 · score 72 · 2.2 km
- May 16, 2026 · score 57 · 3.3 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 72 out of 100, at 84 % 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) | 72 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 84% |
| Coordinates | 30.5716, -86.2581 |
| Nearest City | Santa Rosa Beach (19 km) |
| Population Exposed | 14.6K within 35 km |
| Impact Tier | significant |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-17T18:26:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@-86.258,30.572,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 1381.96 |
| PixelCount | 46 |
| 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 for live collection; the monthly chart also counts backfilled detections from 10 February 2024. 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 72/100, near Santa Rosa Beach (United States), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.