Fire near Kunene (AO)

15.47°S, 15.59°E · first detected on 18 October at 14:29

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 18 October at 14:29 to 23 October at 02:05, that is 4 days, through 97 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,050 ha.

Detected extent: 1,050 ha
Cumulative power: 1,581 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 104 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 97
Estimated emissions: 1.1 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 18 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 7 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 02:05	1 MW	2	N21
22 October at 17:50	40 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:49	76 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 17:43	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:35	27 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:34	28 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:33	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:23	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:20	37 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:19	84 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 17:05	32 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:04	29 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 16:43	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:33	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:23	14 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:19	33 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:13	32 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:04	106 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:04	98 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 16:03	169 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 15:53	168 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 15:49	147 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 15:49	120 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:43	276 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 15:34	349 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:34	346 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:33	252 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 15:31	505 MW	33	N
22 October at 15:23	233 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 15:19	589 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:19	593 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:13	295 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 15:04	205 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 15:04	147 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:03	158 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:53	708 MW	36	N21
22 October at 14:53	391 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:49	221 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:49	227 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:43	344 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 14:34	111 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 14:34	114 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:33	212 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 14:23	210 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:19	225 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:19	335 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 14:13	246 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 14:10	280 MW	23	N20
22 October at 14:04	46 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 14:03	115 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:53	187 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:49	137 MW	15	N
22 October at 13:43	144 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 13:34	73 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 13:34	89 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 13:33	86 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 13:23	84 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:13	15 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 13:03	40 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:53	88 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 12:43	27 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:33	31 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:23	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 12:13	35 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:03	29 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 11:43	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:34	203 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 11:34	208 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 11:33	205 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 11:13	82 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 17:43	23 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 17:35	30 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:34	70 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 17:33	57 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 17:23	41 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 17:13	64 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 17:04	48 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 17:03	86 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 16:53	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:50	46 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 16:49	115 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 16:43	85 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:23	70 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 16:13	16 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:03	25 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:53	22 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:43	58 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 15:34	31 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 15:33	150 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 15:23	35 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:14	60 MW	7	N21
21 October at 15:13	29 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:04	50 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 15:04	86 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 15:03	112 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:53	148 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:49	47 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:43	77 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:34	42 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:33	144 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 14:29	254 MW	14	N20
21 October at 14:23	224 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 14:13	30 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:10	80 MW	19	N
21 October at 13:53	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:43	18 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:33	49 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:23	408 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 13:19	277 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 13:19	85 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:13	173 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 12:43	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:33	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:33	26 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 10:43	18 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:19	36 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 02:39	2 MW	1	N21
21 October at 01:56	2 MW	2	N20
20 October at 23:33	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 20:03	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 19:43	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:43	37 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:40	60 MW	3	Aqua
20 October at 16:23	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:13	39 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 16:03	133 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 15:53	178 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 15:49	43 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 15:49	94 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:43	216 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 15:34	109 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:34	95 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:33	155 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 15:23	519 MW	14	Met12
20 October at 15:19	594 MW	4	Met10
20 October at 15:19	725 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 15:13	74 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 15:04	127 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:04	139 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:03	177 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 14:53	113 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:49	44 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:49	43 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:46	105 MW	10	N20
20 October at 14:43	128 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:34	41 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:33	87 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 14:27	145 MW	10	N
20 October at 14:23	100 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:13	35 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:03	55 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 13:53	26 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:51	44 MW	4	N21
20 October at 13:43	98 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 13:04	45 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:04	54 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 13:03	41 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:53	67 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:33	10 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 15:08	40 MW	3	N20
18 October at 17:01	25 MW	2	Aqua
18 October at 15:25	17 MW	3	N20
18 October at 15:06	81 MW	9	N
18 October at 14:29	22 MW	3	N21
18 October at 13:47	54 MW	9	N20
17 October at 14:49	5 MW	1	N21
17 October at 14:04	12 MW	4	N20

8 other fires near Kunene (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.

Follow live

The map shows active fires in 3D, with smoke plumes, forecast wind, drop zones and the live position of water bombers tracked by ADS-B, anywhere in the world.

Open the fire map

Take the data of this fire with you

A ready-to-use archive, paid once, no subscription. It contains:

the satellite detections of the fire
the contours of its progression
the drops and the aircraft tracks
the lightning around it
the severity of the burned area, when computed

From €20.00 excl. VAT, six formats to choose from, link valid for 30 days.

Download the data

Pro subscribers: included. €49 excl. VAT a month, no commitment. The public map stays free. Discover GISFire Pro

© 2026 SARO · Gistin. All rights reserved. The interface, its presentation and the contents of GISFire are protected; reproducing or imitating them requires written permission. The source data remain the property of their respective producers, see the credits.

Legal notice · Privacy policy · · GISFire v2.4.2