This page covers the event recorded here on 2026-09-09. A later event has since been recorded at the same location; cascade scenarios are recorded for the current event only. See the current event at this location.

LowPossible fireCS: 53 · v4 (historical)

Possible fire near Az Zāwīyah, Libya

LibyaNASA FIRMS (VIIRS)

Right now

The most recent data we hold from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) arrived 16 minutes ago, and this point is not in it. We record detections, not passes: an absence is not proof that nothing is there.

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

20 satellite detections of this fire · 5 – 12 September 2026

A satellite sees a burning fire on each of its passes. This page gathers every detection of this fire; the address of each one leads here.

Az Zāwīyah
Day and time (UTC)Radiative powerDistance from Az Zāwīyah
12 Sept 12:19129 MW4 km
12 Sept 11:32125 MW4 km
12 Sept 01:54106 MW4 km
11 Sept 12:36141 MW4 km
11 Sept 11:51126 MW4 km
11 Sept 00:3562 MW5 km
10 Sept 11:15130 MW5 km
10 Sept 01:37112 MW5 km
10 Sept 00:52103 MW5 km
8 Sept 11:51122 MW4 km
8 Sept 11:51165 MW4 km
8 Sept 01:30158 MW4 km
8 Sept 00:35136 MW4 km
7 Sept 13:08178 MW4 km
7 Sept 13:08160 MW4 km
7 Sept 13:08115 MW4 km
6 Sept 02:09121 MW6 km
5 Sept 01:30117 MW7 km
5 Sept 01:30163 MW6 km
5 Sept 00:45136 MW6 km

This page covers the record dated 9 September 2026. Browse recent observations in this area:

Distance and hazards
Only these hazards

Tick none to hear about every hazard.

One message per event, not per detection. We send a confirmation first, and every message carries a link to stop them. We store the address and the place, nothing else.

Recorded by satellite 54 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 127 recorded within 20 km of this point since 9 March 2026 — 6 others scored the same. The last comparable one was on 8 September 2026.

What the source measured

NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 46 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 111 MW, at nominal confidence, 4 km from Az Zāwīyah.

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.

Urban PEI: 548,304 within a heuristic 35 km radius; not unique people.

Nearby, since 9 March 2026

How we know

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

Our own score for this event is 53 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 v4. Rows carrying other versions were judged by different rules and are not directly comparable.

Archived as “Critical” under the rule in force until 4 October 2026, which read the radiative power and the people nearby. A satellite sees heat, not an emergency: since then every detection is shown as low or medium; this one as “Low”.

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

TypePossible fire
SeverityLow
Calamity Score (ours)53 / 100
Legacy data-support index0.74/1
Coordinates32.7959, 12.7370
Nearest cityAz Zāwīyah (4 km)
Urban exposure index (PEI)548.3K within 35 km
Impact tiersevere
Timestamp2026-09-09T12:29:00.000Z
Sourcehttps://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@12.737,32.796,9z
LicenceUS public domain (NASA) · NASA FIRMS (LANCE)

Physical priority index · v4 (historical). 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: 2026-09-09T12:29:00.000Z.

First archived: 2026-07-22T14:55:50.211Z. Material modification: 2026-09-12T14:01:39.153Z.

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

Score breakdown

60
intensity
85
Urban PEI term
0
Scenario weight
30
Recorded reference / batch anomaly

Technical details

Brightness335.89
Frp111.12
PixelCount46
Confidencenominal

Safety information

What to do near a wildfire

A satellite saw heat here. It cannot tell a wildfire from a controlled burn or an industrial flame, and it sees nothing under thick cloud. If you see smoke or flames, call the local emergency number and follow the fire service. Evacuation orders come from local authorities, not from this page.

For this reportPossible fire · Az Zāwīyah

  1. Leave when told, early

    When authorities order an evacuation, go at once. Do not wait to see the flames: fire moves faster than you can run.

    Ready.gov
  2. Trapped? Call for help

    Call the emergency number and give your location. Stay in a building or a car rather than in the open, with doors and windows shut.

    Ready.gov
  3. Protect yourself from smoke

    Stay indoors with windows closed, use an air purifier if you have one, and wear an N95/FFP2 mask outside.

    AirNow · Ready.gov

Before, during, after. Here it is “after”.

Before · In fire season

  • Get the alerts

    Official alerts on your phone, so an evacuation order reaches you.

  • Plan two ways out

    Know two routes away from home and practise them.

  • Clear around the house

    Remove dry leaves, wood and anything that burns from around the walls.

  • A bag by the door

    Documents, medicines, chargers, masks, water.

Ready.gov (FEMA)

During · While the fire is near

  • Go at once if ordered

    Follow the routes authorities give.

  • Shut the smoke out

    Close windows and doors; set the air conditioning to recirculate.

  • Keep outdoor effort low

    Smoke harms lungs and heart, most of all in children, older people and those with asthma.

Ready.gov (FEMA) · AirNow

After · When the fire has passed

  • Return when it is declared safe

    Roads, trees and power lines can still be dangerous.

  • Beware hot spots

    Ash and the ground can stay hot enough to burn for days.

  • Clean up protected

    Gloves, long sleeves, sturdy shoes and a mask; wet the ash before moving it.

Ready.gov (FEMA)

If a life is in danger

Call your local emergency number

Questions people ask

Does a satellite detection mean a wildfire?

Not always. A satellite sees heat: a wildfire, a controlled burn, a flare or an industrial plant. If you see smoke or flames, call the local emergency number and follow the fire service.

Do cloth masks protect from smoke?

Not much. A well-fitting N95 (FFP2 in Europe) filters the fine particles; cloth and surgical masks let most of them through. Source: AirNow (US EPA).

When can I go home?

Only when authorities say the area is safe. Source: Ready.gov (FEMA).

Follow this area

Review the area, threshold and delivery channel in your account.

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