Fire near Katanga (CD)

5.75°S, 28.63°E · first detected on 6 September at 00:57

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 6 September at 00:57 to 7 September at 15:42, that is 2 days, through 691 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 11,919 ha.

Detected extent: 11,919 ha
Cumulative power: 12,097 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 230 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 691

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 375 m pixel counts in full 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 and loads only its detections. The timeline below covers the whole known life of the fire, from the first trace, satellite or report, to the last announcement from emergency services, and the ticks on the bar mark those announcements. Detections often stop before containment: a fire stops radiating once it stops spreading, which is exactly when it is declared contained. “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. “12 h” stacks twelve hours , as the home map does, where stacking avoids an empty screen between two satellite passes. 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 4 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
7 September at 18:04	12 MW	1	Met12
7 September at 17:54	13 MW	1	Met12
7 September at 17:44	24 MW	2	Met12
7 September at 17:34	22 MW	2	Met12
7 September at 17:24	25 MW	2	Met12
7 September at 17:20	27 MW	1	Met9
7 September at 17:20	34 MW	1	Met10
7 September at 17:14	28 MW	2	Met12
7 September at 17:05	80 MW	2	Met10
7 September at 17:05	89 MW	3	Met9
7 September at 17:04	93 MW	6	Met12
7 September at 16:54	171 MW	9	Met12
7 September at 16:50	221 MW	7	Met9
7 September at 16:50	156 MW	4	Met10
7 September at 16:44	160 MW	9	Met12
7 September at 16:35	368 MW	10	Met10
7 September at 16:35	377 MW	11	Met9
7 September at 16:34	301 MW	17	Met12
7 September at 16:24	239 MW	14	Met12
7 September at 16:20	457 MW	13	Met10
7 September at 16:20	561 MW	17	Met9
7 September at 16:14	359 MW	19	Met12
7 September at 16:05	545 MW	12	Met10
7 September at 16:05	659 MW	17	Met9
7 September at 16:04	463 MW	24	Met12
7 September at 15:54	643 MW	26	Met12
7 September at 15:50	1,154 MW	17	Met10
7 September at 15:50	1,286 MW	23	Met9
7 September at 15:44	811 MW	25	Met12
7 September at 15:42	1,353 MW	49	Aqua
7 September at 15:35	1,612 MW	23	Met9
7 September at 15:35	1,494 MW	17	Met10
7 September at 15:34	931 MW	27	Met12
7 September at 15:24	845 MW	32	Met12
7 September at 15:20	865 MW	17	Met9
7 September at 15:20	600 MW	10	Met10
7 September at 15:14	663 MW	26	Met12
7 September at 15:05	1,392 MW	19	Met9
7 September at 15:05	1,171 MW	15	Met10
7 September at 15:04	868 MW	27	Met12
7 September at 14:54	912 MW	35	Met12
7 September at 14:50	794 MW	11	Met10
7 September at 14:50	1,370 MW	21	Met9
7 September at 14:44	653 MW	26	Met12
7 September at 14:36	1,002 MW	79	N
7 September at 14:35	1,431 MW	23	Met9
7 September at 14:35	1,044 MW	12	Met10
7 September at 14:34	891 MW	30	Met12
7 September at 14:24	758 MW	28	Met12
7 September at 14:20	740 MW	9	Met10
7 September at 14:20	1,231 MW	20	Met9
7 September at 14:14	919 MW	35	Met12
7 September at 14:05	1,511 MW	20	Met9
7 September at 14:05	1,192 MW	12	Met10
7 September at 14:04	964 MW	29	Met12
7 September at 14:00	2,397 MW	162	N21
7 September at 13:50	1,662 MW	12	Met10
7 September at 13:50	2,467 MW	25	Met9
7 September at 13:35	3,131 MW	29	Met9
7 September at 13:35	2,674 MW	23	Met10
7 September at 13:20	2,760 MW	19	Met10
7 September at 13:20	4,310 MW	43	Met9
7 September at 13:15	3,681 MW	172	N20
7 September at 13:05	3,632 MW	27	Met9
7 September at 13:05	3,046 MW	22	Met10
7 September at 12:56	3,207 MW	131	N
7 September at 12:50	2,845 MW	23	Met10
7 September at 12:50	3,232 MW	24	Met9
7 September at 12:35	2,849 MW	24	Met9
7 September at 12:35	2,089 MW	19	Met10
7 September at 12:20	1,383 MW	15	Met10
7 September at 12:20	1,813 MW	20	Met9
7 September at 12:05	715 MW	8	Met9
7 September at 12:05	661 MW	8	Met10
7 September at 12:04	504 MW	20	Met12
7 September at 11:54	347 MW	12	Met12
7 September at 11:50	132 MW	3	Met10
7 September at 11:50	179 MW	3	Met9
7 September at 11:35	129 MW	2	Met9
7 September at 11:35	152 MW	3	Met10
7 September at 11:05	40 MW	1	Met9
7 September at 11:05	63 MW	1	Met10
7 September at 10:50	81 MW	2	Met9
7 September at 10:50	41 MW	1	Met10
7 September at 10:35	108 MW	2	Met10
7 September at 10:35	44 MW	1	Met9
7 September at 01:58	3 MW	3	N
7 September at 01:22	4 MW	6	N21
6 September at 18:24	12 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 18:14	28 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 18:05	44 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 18:05	45 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 18:04	26 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 17:54	48 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 17:50	103 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 17:50	65 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 17:44	12 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 17:04	10 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 16:44	25 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 16:35	30 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 16:34	92 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 16:24	98 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 16:14	78 MW	6	Met12
6 September at 16:05	25 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 16:05	31 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 16:04	70 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 15:54	46 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 15:50	97 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 15:50	51 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 15:44	115 MW	6	Met12
6 September at 15:35	150 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 15:35	280 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 15:34	161 MW	8	Met12
6 September at 15:24	219 MW	10	Met12
6 September at 15:20	142 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 15:20	302 MW	7	Met9
6 September at 15:14	280 MW	11	Met12
6 September at 15:05	85 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 15:05	384 MW	8	Met9
6 September at 15:04	240 MW	10	Met12
6 September at 14:54	201 MW	13	Met12
6 September at 14:50	66 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 14:44	233 MW	12	Met12
6 September at 14:35	425 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 14:35	113 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 14:34	312 MW	14	Met12
6 September at 14:24	471 MW	26	Met12
6 September at 14:20	404 MW	7	Met9
6 September at 14:17	1,374 MW	100	N21
6 September at 14:14	956 MW	37	Met12
6 September at 14:05	288 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 14:05	1,062 MW	13	Met9
6 September at 14:04	678 MW	27	Met12
6 September at 13:54	930 MW	36	Met12
6 September at 13:50	223 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 13:50	757 MW	11	Met9
6 September at 13:44	1,037 MW	30	Met12
6 September at 13:35	2,177 MW	17	Met9
6 September at 13:35	170 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 13:34	2,528 MW	153	N20
6 September at 13:34	871 MW	28	Met12
6 September at 13:24	1,147 MW	33	Met12
6 September at 13:20	352 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 13:20	2,181 MW	14	Met9
6 September at 13:15	3,299 MW	122	N
6 September at 13:14	1,356 MW	40	Met12
6 September at 13:05	212 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 13:05	633 MW	8	Met9
6 September at 13:04	1,403 MW	40	Met12
6 September at 12:54	1,335 MW	41	Met12
6 September at 12:50	62 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 12:44	838 MW	29	Met12
6 September at 12:35	417 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 12:35	341 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 12:34	1,726 MW	39	Met12
6 September at 12:24	130 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 12:20	79 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 12:20	324 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 12:14	746 MW	8	Met12
6 September at 12:05	294 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 12:05	144 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 12:04	441 MW	14	Met12
6 September at 11:54	263 MW	15	Met12
6 September at 11:44	83 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 11:35	46 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 11:34	92 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 11:24	44 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 11:14	42 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 11:05	184 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 11:05	111 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 11:04	53 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 10:54	44 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 10:44	13 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 10:24	15 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 01:39	2 MW	3	N21
6 September at 00:57	2 MW	3	N20

4 other fires near Katanga (CD)

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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