Fire near Katavi (TZ)

6.91°S, 31.13°E · first detected on 6 September at 00:37

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 6 September at 00:37 to 6 September at 15:04, through 169 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,531 ha.

Detected extent: 1,531 ha
Cumulative power: 1,722 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 60 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 169

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 3 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
6 September at 22:14	10 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 22:04	41 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 21:54	16 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 21:51	109 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 21:50	89 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 21:36	97 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 21:35	59 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 21:21	109 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 21:20	98 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 21:06	97 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 21:05	68 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 20:51	88 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 20:50	42 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 20:44	13 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 20:36	91 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 20:35	40 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 20:30	111 MW	7	Terra
6 September at 20:24	10 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 20:21	92 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 20:20	44 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 20:06	97 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 20:05	46 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 20:04	22 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 19:51	104 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 19:50	49 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 19:36	126 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 19:35	49 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 19:24	16 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 19:20	50 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 19:20	110 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 19:14	12 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 19:05	104 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 19:05	111 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 19:04	12 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 18:50	117 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 18:50	114 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 18:44	14 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 18:35	119 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 18:35	143 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 18:34	32 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 18:20	159 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 18:20	113 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 18:05	51 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 18:05	157 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 17:54	49 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 17:50	50 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 17:50	175 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 17:44	12 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 17:35	56 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 17:35	147 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 17:34	22 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 17:24	30 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 17:20	178 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 17:20	91 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 17:14	30 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 17:05	190 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 17:05	159 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 17:04	10 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 16:54	20 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 16:50	193 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 16:50	173 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 16:44	19 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 16:35	208 MW	5	Met10
6 September at 16:35	207 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 16:34	59 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 16:24	39 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 16:20	221 MW	5	Met10
6 September at 16:20	233 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 16:14	20 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 16:05	199 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 16:05	260 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 16:04	69 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 15:54	83 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 15:50	247 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 15:50	208 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 15:44	79 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 15:35	224 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 15:35	295 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 15:34	113 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 15:24	51 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 15:20	254 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 15:20	311 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 15:14	100 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 15:05	320 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 15:05	225 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 15:04	47 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 15:04	119 MW	2	Aqua
6 September at 14:54	74 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 14:50	238 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 14:50	311 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 14:44	89 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 14:35	249 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 14:35	366 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 14:34	91 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 14:24	95 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 14:20	292 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 14:20	191 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 14:17	306 MW	20	N21
6 September at 14:14	100 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 14:05	311 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 14:05	196 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 14:04	91 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 13:54	86 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 13:50	317 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 13:50	212 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 13:44	110 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 13:35	266 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 13:35	129 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 13:34	119 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 13:34	264 MW	14	N20
6 September at 13:24	106 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 13:20	123 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 13:20	322 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 13:15	235 MW	17	N
6 September at 13:14	103 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 13:05	119 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 13:05	261 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 13:04	79 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 12:54	71 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 12:50	265 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 12:50	136 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 12:44	105 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 12:38	311 MW	24	N21
6 September at 12:35	247 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 12:35	211 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 12:34	97 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 12:24	64 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 12:20	217 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 12:20	252 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 12:14	28 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 12:05	223 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 12:05	229 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 12:04	31 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 11:54	75 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 11:50	248 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 11:50	219 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 11:44	57 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 11:35	280 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 11:35	195 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 11:34	43 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 11:24	61 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 11:20	185 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 11:20	244 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 11:14	28 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 11:05	316 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 11:05	141 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 11:04	26 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 10:54	26 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 10:50	107 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 10:50	205 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 10:44	27 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 10:35	102 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 10:35	256 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 10:34	30 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 10:24	32 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 10:20	253 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 10:19	185 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 08:14	44 MW	2	Terra
6 September at 02:18	80 MW	20	N
6 September at 01:41	162 MW	26	N21
6 September at 00:57	154 MW	27	N20
6 September at 00:37	46 MW	17	N

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