Recorded by satellite 41 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 115th strongest of the 839 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 1 March 2024. The last comparable one was on 20 July 2026. 4 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 22 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 98 MW, at nominal confidence, 62 km from Emporia.
The 22 pixels cover about 3.1 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 1 March 2024
- August 11, 2026 · score 27 · 3.7 km
- August 10, 2026 · score 27 · 3.9 km
- August 29, 2026 · score 27 · 5.5 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 18 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) | 18 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 54% |
| Coordinates | 37.9235, -96.5385 |
| Nearest City | Emporia (62 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Date | 2026-07-21 — time not reported by the source |
| Source | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@-96.538,37.924,9z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 343.04 |
| Frp | 97.92 |
| PixelCount | 22 |
| 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.
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 18/100 (United States), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 188 scientific monitoring sources.