Fire near Kigoma (TZ)

6.28°S, 29.96°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 74 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 948 ha.

Detected extent: 948 ha
Cumulative power: 900 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 99 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 74

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
7 September at 01:04	43 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 23:54	11 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 23:51	14 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 20:30	9 MW	1	Terra
6 September at 20:06	14 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 19:54	10 MW	1	Met12
6 September at 19:51	17 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 19:36	18 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 19:35	26 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 19:21	19 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 19:20	27 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 19:06	14 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 18:50	21 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 18:50	22 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 18:44	34 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 18:35	74 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 18:35	45 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 18:34	22 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 18:24	23 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 18:20	106 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 18:20	90 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 18:14	27 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 18:05	235 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 18:05	203 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 18:04	81 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 17:54	61 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 17:50	77 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 17:50	88 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 17:44	60 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 17:35	38 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 17:35	43 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 17:34	54 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 17:24	64 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 17:20	92 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 17:20	90 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 17:14	126 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 17:05	221 MW	7	Met9
6 September at 17:05	236 MW	6	Met10
6 September at 17:04	97 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 16:54	285 MW	10	Met12
6 September at 16:50	338 MW	7	Met10
6 September at 16:50	341 MW	10	Met9
6 September at 16:44	279 MW	10	Met12
6 September at 16:35	413 MW	9	Met10
6 September at 16:35	335 MW	8	Met9
6 September at 16:34	190 MW	10	Met12
6 September at 16:24	114 MW	6	Met12
6 September at 16:20	228 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 16:20	248 MW	6	Met10
6 September at 16:14	161 MW	8	Met12
6 September at 16:05	293 MW	7	Met9
6 September at 16:05	196 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 16:04	177 MW	6	Met12
6 September at 15:54	187 MW	6	Met12
6 September at 15:50	292 MW	7	Met9
6 September at 15:50	276 MW	5	Met10
6 September at 15:44	379 MW	11	Met12
6 September at 15:35	269 MW	5	Met10
6 September at 15:35	193 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 15:34	149 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 15:24	248 MW	9	Met12
6 September at 15:20	595 MW	5	Met10
6 September at 15:20	553 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 15:14	222 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 15:05	372 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 15:05	402 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 15:04	271 MW	8	Met12
6 September at 15:04	171 MW	2	Aqua
6 September at 14:54	279 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 14:50	329 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 14:50	343 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 14:44	114 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 14:34	75 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 14:24	88 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 14:20	265 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 14:20	123 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 14:17	478 MW	20	N21
6 September at 14:14	86 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 14:05	127 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 14:04	86 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 13:54	70 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 13:50	247 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 13:50	270 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 13:44	51 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 13:35	157 MW	2	Met9
6 September at 13:35	86 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 13:34	128 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 13:34	387 MW	37	N20
6 September at 13:24	49 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 13:20	75 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 13:15	272 MW	23	N
6 September at 13:14	169 MW	6	Met12
6 September at 13:04	87 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 12:54	111 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 12:50	79 MW	1	Met9
6 September at 12:44	273 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 12:38	556 MW	16	N21
6 September at 12:35	145 MW	1	Met10
6 September at 12:35	556 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 12:34	380 MW	9	Met12
6 September at 12:24	109 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 12:20	418 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 12:20	270 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 12:14	227 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 12:05	457 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 12:05	246 MW	2	Met10
6 September at 12:04	179 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 11:54	198 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 11:50	345 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 11:50	329 MW	3	Met9
6 September at 11:44	143 MW	4	Met12
6 September at 11:35	275 MW	3	Met10
6 September at 11:35	484 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 11:34	96 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 11:24	359 MW	7	Met12
6 September at 11:20	497 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 11:20	503 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 11:14	273 MW	6	Met12
6 September at 11:05	642 MW	5	Met9
6 September at 11:05	606 MW	5	Met10
6 September at 11:04	114 MW	2	Met12
6 September at 10:54	640 MW	11	Met12
6 September at 10:50	1,204 MW	4	Met9
6 September at 10:50	791 MW	6	Met10
6 September at 10:44	944 MW	9	Met12
6 September at 10:35	576 MW	7	Met10
6 September at 10:35	1,483 MW	8	Met9
6 September at 10:34	261 MW	5	Met12
6 September at 10:24	245 MW	3	Met12
6 September at 10:20	982 MW	6	Met9
6 September at 10:20	470 MW	4	Met10
6 September at 08:14	122 MW	2	Terra
6 September at 02:18	12 MW	9	N
6 September at 01:41	38 MW	18	N21
6 September at 00:57	38 MW	16	N20
6 September at 00:37	18 MW	7	N

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