Fire near Kunene (AO)

15.29°S, 16.67°E · first detected on 20 October at 14:46

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 20 October at 14:46 to 22 October at 16:16, that is 2 days, through 115 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,308 ha.

Detected extent: 1,308 ha
Cumulative power: 3,096 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 374 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 115
Estimated emissions: 1.6 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 20 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 5 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
22 October at 19:19	22 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 19:03	20 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 18:53	23 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 18:50	27 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 18:43	12 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:34	28 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 18:33	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:23	26 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 18:20	36 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 18:19	68 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 18:13	44 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 18:05	49 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 18:04	79 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 18:03	34 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:53	46 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:50	94 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 17:49	113 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 17:43	53 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 17:35	91 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 17:34	117 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 17:33	43 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:23	59 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:20	163 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 17:19	184 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 17:13	63 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:05	157 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 17:04	171 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 17:03	57 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:53	70 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:50	118 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:49	163 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 16:43	139 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:35	67 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:34	450 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 16:33	208 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 16:23	160 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 16:20	237 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:19	352 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 16:16	39 MW	1	Aqua
22 October at 16:13	276 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 16:04	74 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:04	165 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 16:03	28 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:53	62 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:49	73 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 15:43	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:34	61 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 15:33	141 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 15:31	132 MW	11	N
22 October at 15:23	125 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:19	66 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 15:19	481 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:13	44 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:04	238 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 15:04	333 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:03	207 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:53	438 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 14:53	375 MW	21	N21
22 October at 14:49	167 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:49	179 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:43	80 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 14:34	231 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:34	180 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:33	135 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:23	488 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 14:19	142 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 14:19	221 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:13	196 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:10	254 MW	18	N20
22 October at 14:04	227 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:04	259 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:03	269 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:53	567 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:49	513 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:49	670 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:49	285 MW	9	N
22 October at 13:43	363 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:34	820 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 13:34	914 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:33	783 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:23	311 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 13:19	129 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 13:19	167 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:13	171 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:04	213 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 13:04	322 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 13:03	225 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 12:53	231 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 12:49	116 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 12:49	127 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:43	151 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 12:34	44 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 12:34	42 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 12:33	62 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 12:23	296 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 12:19	88 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:19	54 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 12:13	14 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 12:04	72 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:04	45 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 12:03	70 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 11:53	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:43	37 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 02:22	8 MW	2	N21
21 October at 19:34	15 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 19:19	18 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 19:04	24 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 18:34	74 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 18:33	17 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 18:23	31 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 18:20	51 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 18:19	57 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 18:13	10 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 18:05	23 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 18:04	34 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 18:03	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 17:53	34 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 17:50	41 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 17:49	50 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 17:43	49 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 17:35	104 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 17:34	96 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 17:33	57 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 17:23	61 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 17:20	134 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 17:19	139 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 17:16	80 MW	2	Aqua
21 October at 17:13	115 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 17:05	66 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:04	232 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 17:03	163 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 16:53	125 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 16:50	272 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 16:49	39 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 16:35	72 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 16:23	253 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 16:20	226 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 16:19	317 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 16:13	258 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 16:04	58 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 16:03	280 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:53	566 MW	9	Met12
21 October at 15:49	391 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 15:43	810 MW	10	Met12
21 October at 15:34	1,436 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 15:34	249 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:33	1,339 MW	9	Met12
21 October at 15:23	138 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:13	272 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:03	214 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:53	45 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:43	146 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:33	400 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 14:29	383 MW	22	N20
21 October at 14:23	90 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:13	126 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:10	317 MW	13	N
21 October at 14:04	66 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:03	383 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 13:53	562 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 13:49	462 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 13:49	454 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 13:43	405 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 13:34	431 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 13:34	615 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 13:33	836 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 13:32	1,186 MW	13	N21
21 October at 13:23	267 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 13:19	204 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 13:19	182 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 13:13	203 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 13:04	180 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 13:04	169 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 13:03	236 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 12:53	91 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:49	118 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 12:49	93 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 12:43	123 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 12:34	154 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 12:34	133 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 12:33	146 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 12:23	95 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 12:13	46 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:03	82 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 11:53	144 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 10:43	50 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 10:33	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:13	24 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 17:53	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 17:33	166 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 17:23	27 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:43	61 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:40	27 MW	1	Aqua
20 October at 16:33	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:46	10 MW	2	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.

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