Recorded by satellite 166 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 7th strongest of the 26 detections recorded within 20 km of this point since 9 March 2026. The last comparable one was on 16 March 2026. 7 more were recorded here in the fortnight before it.
What the source measured
NASA FIRMS (VIIRS) reported 42 fire pixels with a combined fire radiative power of 337 MW, at high confidence, 61 km from Bonga.
The 42 pixels cover about 5.9 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 9 March 2026
- August 30, 2026 · score 46 · 5.7 km
- August 28, 2026 · score 36 · 6.6 km
- March 9, 2026 · score 32 · 12.1 km
How we know
One source: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Not yet confirmed by a second, independent source.
Our own score for this event is 27 out of 100, at 38 % 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) | 27 / 100 |
| Our confidence | 38% |
| Coordinates | 6.7509, 36.3310 |
| Nearest City | Bonga (61 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-03-17T10:36:00.000Z |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Brightness | 367 |
| Frp | 337.37 |
| PixelCount | 42 |
| 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. 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.
Calamity.live data shows a fire event with CalamityScore 27/100, near Bonga (Ethiopia), based on data from firms. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 194 scientific monitoring sources.