Fire near Benguela (AO)

13.57°S, 14.08°E · first detected on 23 September at 13:57

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 23 September at 13:57 to 22 October at 15:31, that is 29 days, through 4,029 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 65,706 ha.

Detected extent: 65,706 ha
Cumulative power: 36,929 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 183 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 4,029
Estimated emissions: 4.1 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 5 October 2026 to 21 October 2026. An order-of-magnitude estimate from GFAS (ECMWF, Copernicus CAMS): it also counts neighbouring fires in the same cell. Contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information (2026). Published data stop on 21 October 2026.

These four figures cover the polar orbits alone, the ones that measure an area. The pass table below also counts geostationary detections, more frequent but too coarse for geometry, and its power column sums a whole pass where the peak above is that of a single pixel.

“Detected extent” is not “burned area”: it is the union of the ground footprints of the satellite pixels, and a pixel counts in full (375 m for VIIRS, 1 km for MODIS) even when only a forest edge is burning. Compared with press figures it is in practice one and a half to three times the area reported. Detections taken at the edge of the scan swath, too coarse to measure anything at all, are excluded. These figures come from thermal detection and are not an official assessment: only the emergency services and the competent authorities are authoritative.

Replay how the fire spread

The map is framed on this fire's footprint and loads only its detections. The timeline below covers the period in which satellites saw it, from the first to the last detection, with twelve hours before and twenty-four after; the ticks on the bar mark the emergency services' announcements that fall within it. The cursor opens on the most powerful pass, and playback replays the whole fire in about thirty seconds. “1 h” shows what is burning within an hour of the chosen moment : the map then follows the power curve below and empties when it falls. “24 h” stacks twenty-four hours : a fire stays visible between two satellite passes, which come two to four times a day. Both are true, but they say different things.

How the radiative power evolved

One point per satellite pass: the sum of the fire radiative power measured over the fire. This is the curve that says whether the fire eased off or picked up again, which no cumulative figure shows. The window covers 30 days; beyond that, clustering would merge two successive fires in the same place.

Fire dynamics

Loading history…

Satellite passes in detail

Pass	Power summed over the pass	Detections	Sensor
22 October at 19:43	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:34	29 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 18:23	21 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:20	67 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 18:19	36 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:34	27 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:33	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:23	12 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:13	12 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:04	87 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 17:03	89 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:53	21 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:49	88 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 16:43	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:33	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:23	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:20	37 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:19	37 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 16:13	41 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:05	134 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:04	57 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 16:03	29 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:53	35 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:31	73 MW	17	N
22 October at 14:54	236 MW	24	N21
22 October at 14:43	26 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:33	15 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:23	22 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:13	101 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:10	130 MW	23	N20
22 October at 14:03	31 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 13:53	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 13:34	110 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 13:04	106 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 12:49	112 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:53	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 17:34	51 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 17:20	38 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:19	31 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 17:04	38 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 17:03	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:50	53 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 16:49	76 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 16:43	24 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:33	10 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:23	46 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:13	31 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:04	32 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 16:03	17 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:53	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:14	47 MW	8	N21
21 October at 14:29	90 MW	14	N20
21 October at 14:23	41 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:10	40 MW	6	N
21 October at 14:03	49 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:53	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 02:39	1 MW	1	N21
20 October at 18:23	10 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 17:23	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:43	16 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:33	15 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:31	14 MW	1	N21
20 October at 15:13	43 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 15:03	22 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:46	212 MW	38	N20
20 October at 14:43	16 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:33	22 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:27	173 MW	35	N
20 October at 14:23	29 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:51	36 MW	7	N21
20 October at 13:19	93 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:13	24 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:33	34 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:23	42 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:13	70 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:04	181 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 12:04	189 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:03	81 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 11:19	72 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 11:13	12 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 15:08	282 MW	46	N20
19 October at 14:49	335 MW	60	N
19 October at 14:10	279 MW	39	N21
18 October at 17:01	45 MW	5	Aqua
18 October at 15:25	8 MW	2	N20
18 October at 15:06	14 MW	4	N
18 October at 14:29	52 MW	9	N21
18 October at 02:52	1 MW	1	N20
18 October at 02:35	1 MW	1	N
17 October at 15:25	38 MW	10	N
17 October at 14:49	78 MW	17	N21
17 October at 14:04	13 MW	5	N20
16 October at 15:44	8 MW	2	N
16 October at 15:08	113 MW	18	N21
16 October at 14:23	136 MW	31	N20
16 October at 14:04	50 MW	5	N
16 October at 02:35	4 MW	2	N21
15 October at 16:46	47 MW	3	Aqua
15 October at 15:25	36 MW	4	N21
15 October at 14:42	151 MW	41	N20
15 October at 14:21	112 MW	19	N
15 October at 13:47	26 MW	3	N21
14 October at 15:01	494 MW	68	N20
14 October at 14:42	361 MW	77	N
14 October at 14:04	114 MW	18	N21
14 October at 03:11	5 MW	2	N21
14 October at 02:28	1 MW	1	N20
14 October at 02:07	3 MW	2	N
14 October at 01:31	1 MW	1	N21
13 October at 17:09	125 MW	7	Aqua
13 October at 14:23	4 MW	1	N21
11 October at 15:38	167 MW	12	N
11 October at 15:01	262 MW	33	N21
11 October at 14:18	172 MW	30	N20
11 October at 13:57	7 MW	1	N
10 October at 14:36	53 MW	8	N20
10 October at 14:17	59 MW	10	N
10 October at 02:01	2 MW	1	N20
9 October at 14:53	433 MW	35	N20
9 October at 14:36	210 MW	14	N
9 October at 13:57	103 MW	12	N21
9 October at 03:07	4 MW	1	N21
9 October at 02:03	2 MW	1	N
8 October at 17:14	238 MW	11	Aqua
8 October at 15:14	923 MW	110	N20
8 October at 14:53	1,051 MW	124	N
8 October at 14:18	748 MW	77	N21
7 October at 16:40	20 MW	1	Aqua
7 October at 15:31	44 MW	6	N20
7 October at 15:12	242 MW	42	N
7 October at 14:36	357 MW	66	N21
7 October at 13:51	77 MW	11	N20
7 October at 02:58	1 MW	1	N20
7 October at 02:39	1 MW	1	N
6 October at 15:31	243 MW	32	N
6 October at 14:54	468 MW	52	N21
6 October at 14:10	146 MW	22	N20
6 October at 02:58	1 MW	1	N
6 October at 02:22	2 MW	5	N21
5 October at 16:59	322 MW	26	Aqua
5 October at 15:14	554 MW	87	N21
5 October at 14:29	679 MW	81	N20
5 October at 14:10	450 MW	69	N
4 October at 16:22	238 MW	6	Aqua
4 October at 15:31	335 MW	24	N21
4 October at 14:46	490 MW	87	N20
4 October at 14:27	412 MW	66	N
4 October at 13:51	189 MW	26	N21
4 October at 01:56	1 MW	1	N
3 October at 15:08	2,531 MW	114	N20
3 October at 14:49	1,837 MW	140	N
3 October at 14:10	1,090 MW	96	N21
3 October at 09:26	11 MW	1	Terra
3 October at 02:35	5 MW	6	N20
3 October at 02:13	4 MW	2	N
3 October at 01:37	2 MW	2	N21
2 October at 15:25	260 MW	27	N20
2 October at 15:06	371 MW	48	N
2 October at 14:29	523 MW	50	N21
1 October at 15:25	1,037 MW	141	N
1 October at 14:49	1,452 MW	139	N21
1 October at 14:04	569 MW	97	N20
1 October at 09:46	13 MW	1	Terra
30 September at 17:07	263 MW	19	Aqua
30 September at 15:44	54 MW	7	N
30 September at 15:08	390 MW	39	N21
30 September at 14:22	558 MW	83	N20
30 September at 14:04	361 MW	46	N
30 September at 02:35	3 MW	2	N21
29 September at 16:29	234 MW	9	Aqua
29 September at 15:25	782 MW	26	N21
29 September at 14:42	486 MW	92	N20
29 September at 14:21	571 MW	56	N
29 September at 13:47	110 MW	13	N21
29 September at 02:07	2 MW	1	N20
28 September at 17:29	121 MW	2	Aqua
28 September at 14:59	477 MW	61	N20
28 September at 14:04	231 MW	35	N21
28 September at 09:29	8 MW	1	Terra
28 September at 02:28	1 MW	1	N20
27 September at 16:52	420 MW	22	Aqua
27 September at 15:21	246 MW	49	N20
27 September at 14:59	513 MW	61	N
27 September at 14:23	239 MW	34	N21
27 September at 02:45	2 MW	2	N20
27 September at 02:26	2 MW	3	N
27 September at 01:50	1 MW	1	N21
26 September at 16:14	121 MW	2	Aqua
26 September at 15:38	560 MW	35	N20
26 September at 15:20	880 MW	109	N
26 September at 14:42	1,035 MW	124	N21
26 September at 13:57	682 MW	65	N20
26 September at 03:06	1 MW	2	N20
26 September at 02:45	4 MW	4	N
26 September at 02:07	9 MW	8	N21
25 September at 17:14	407 MW	16	Aqua
25 September at 15:38	344 MW	41	N
25 September at 15:01	927 MW	102	N21
25 September at 14:17	1,172 MW	108	N20
25 September at 13:57	240 MW	24	N
25 September at 03:05	11 MW	5	N
25 September at 02:28	5 MW	1	N21
25 September at 01:44	1 MW	1	N20
24 September at 16:35	27 MW	1	Aqua
24 September at 02:01	1 MW	1	N20
23 September at 21:42	124 MW	12	Terra
23 September at 17:35	306 MW	4	Aqua

8 other fires near Benguela (AO)

Separate fires, apart in time or in space, not pieces of this one. A single municipality can have several over one summer, and a forest massif often covers more than a hundred square kilometres.

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