Recorded by satellite 109 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 50th strongest of the 599 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 7 May 2024. The last comparable one was on 14 November 2025.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 20 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 195 MW, at high confidence, 52 km from Payson.
The 20 pixels cover about 2.8 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.
Nearby, since 7 May 2024
- May 14, 2026 · score 54 · 4.1 km
- May 16, 2026 · score 60 · 4.8 km
- May 15, 2026 · score 63 · 4.9 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 32 out of 100, at 54 % 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) | 32 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | 34.6922, -111.4129 |
| Nearest City | Payson (52 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-12T20:04:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 195.43 |
| PixelCount | 20 |
| Confidence | high |
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 32/100, near Payson (United States), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.