Fire near Gauteng (ZA)

25.33°S, 28.67°E · first detected on 21 October at 09:32

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 21 October at 09:32 to 23 October at 02:07, that is 2 days, through 147 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,804 ha.

Detected extent: 1,804 ha
Cumulative power: 1,081 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 36 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 147
Estimated emissions: 294 t of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 21 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 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
23 October at 03:48	26 MW	1	Met10
23 October at 03:09	16 MW	1	Aqua
23 October at 02:33	26 MW	1	Met10
23 October at 02:18	24 MW	1	Met10
23 October at 02:07	35 MW	8	N21
23 October at 02:03	20 MW	1	Met10
23 October at 01:22	34 MW	20	N20
23 October at 01:01	34 MW	22	N
23 October at 00:25	35 MW	13	N21
22 October at 20:52	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 20:51	31 MW	4	Terra
22 October at 19:42	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:32	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:12	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:02	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:49	17 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 18:48	35 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 18:34	21 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 18:33	66 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 18:32	26 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 18:22	43 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 18:19	155 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 18:18	145 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 18:12	29 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:04	115 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 18:03	97 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 18:02	31 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:52	31 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:49	126 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 17:48	115 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 17:42	35 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:34	175 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 17:33	160 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 17:32	63 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 17:22	57 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 17:18	220 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 17:18	214 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 17:12	75 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 17:03	247 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 17:03	214 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 17:02	61 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:52	110 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:48	363 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 16:48	340 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 16:42	104 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 16:33	145 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 16:33	171 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 16:32	65 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:18	252 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 16:18	240 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 16:14	172 MW	7	Aqua
22 October at 16:12	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:03	169 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 16:03	203 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 16:02	21 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:48	214 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 15:48	163 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 15:42	33 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:33	240 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 15:33	204 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:32	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:22	24 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:18	276 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:18	329 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 15:12	70 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:03	560 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:03	491 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 15:02	112 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 14:52	85 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 14:48	261 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:48	285 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:42	151 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:33	191 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:33	208 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:32	155 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:22	103 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:18	285 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:18	261 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:12	45 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:08	182 MW	19	N20
22 October at 14:03	226 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:03	233 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:02	153 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 13:52	129 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 13:49	212 MW	17	N
22 October at 13:48	208 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 13:48	227 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:42	222 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:33	241 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 13:33	289 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:32	312 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:22	338 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 13:18	556 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:18	442 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:12	302 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:10	303 MW	30	N21
22 October at 13:03	396 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:03	328 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:02	392 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 12:52	290 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 12:48	315 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 12:48	430 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:42	360 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 12:33	199 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 12:33	238 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:32	218 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 12:22	298 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 12:18	205 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 12:18	237 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:12	257 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 12:03	500 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 12:03	560 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 12:02	540 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 11:52	1,432 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 11:48	860 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 11:48	1,063 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 11:42	406 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 11:33	402 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 11:33	507 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 11:32	357 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 11:22	546 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 11:18	956 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 11:18	919 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 11:12	1,434 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 11:03	917 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 11:03	661 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 11:02	566 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 10:52	352 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 10:48	971 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 10:48	1,131 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 10:42	562 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 10:33	531 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 10:33	485 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 10:32	371 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 10:22	257 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 10:18	522 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 10:18	401 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 10:12	342 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 10:03	355 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 10:03	377 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 10:02	366 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 09:52	568 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 09:48	181 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 09:48	192 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 09:42	342 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 09:33	165 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 09:33	176 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 09:32	181 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 09:22	57 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 09:12	44 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 09:03	32 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 09:02	42 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 08:52	19 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 08:44	39 MW	2	Terra
22 October at 08:42	29 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 08:33	36 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 08:32	25 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 08:22	32 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 08:18	38 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 08:18	36 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 08:12	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 01:39	1 MW	1	N20
22 October at 01:20	2 MW	3	N
22 October at 00:44	2 MW	1	N21
21 October at 14:42	24 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:25	13 MW	2	N20
21 October at 14:06	15 MW	3	N
21 October at 13:30	25 MW	3	N21
21 October at 11:52	18 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:22	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:12	43 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 11:02	16 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:52	10 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:42	18 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:32	19 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:22	35 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 10:12	20 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:03	50 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:03	71 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 10:02	83 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 09:52	24 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 09:48	57 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 09:42	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 09:33	50 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 09:32	39 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 09:22	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 09:18	40 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 08:22	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 08:12	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 08:08	21 MW	1	Terra
21 October at 03:32	11 MW	1	Aqua
21 October at 02:01	4 MW	3	N20
21 October at 01:39	6 MW	3	N
21 October at 01:01	4 MW	3	N21
21 October at 00:20	1 MW	1	N20
20 October at 16:02	10 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:25	5 MW	1	N

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