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 18th strongest of the 761 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 12 February 2024. Another comparable one was recorded here earlier the same day.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 19 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 248 MW, at nominal confidence, 5 km from Somerton.
The 19 pixels cover about 2.7 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 94,111 people live within 20 km of this point.
This is the lowest radiative power we have recorded at this point, over 28 readings since 1 September 2026 — the previous range was 248 MW to 248 MW.
Nearby, since 12 February 2024
- August 31, 2026 · score 44 · 0.8 km
- July 20, 2026 · score 48 · 2.8 km
- June 30, 2026 · score 39 · 9.6 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 44 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 | high |
| Calamity Score (ours) | 44 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 74% |
| Coordinates | 32.5714, -114.7519 |
| Nearest City | Somerton (5 km) |
| Population Exposed | 94.1K within 20 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-09-01T10:28:00.000Z |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@-114.752,32.571,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 350.5 |
| Frp | 247.88 |
| PixelCount | 19 |
| Confidence | nominal |
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.
Want to know when something happens near Somerton?
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 44/100, near Somerton (United States), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 187 scientific monitoring sources.