Fire near Kwando-Kubango (AO)

14.68°S, 17.48°E · first detected on 24 September at 13:40

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 24 September at 13:40 to 22 October at 15:31, that is 28 days, through 1,557 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 26,410 ha.

Detected extent: 26,410 ha
Cumulative power: 19,091 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 208 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 1,557
Estimated emissions: 6.6 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 5 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 30 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 17:53	14 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:35	28 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:34	25 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:23	55 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 17:20	73 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 17:19	80 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 17:13	91 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 17:05	89 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 17:04	63 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:03	61 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 16:53	84 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 16:50	31 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:49	35 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 16:43	152 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 16:35	84 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:34	92 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 16:33	135 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 16:23	148 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 16:20	196 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:19	193 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 16:13	12 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:03	19 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:53	21 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:43	78 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:34	60 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 15:33	119 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 15:31	169 MW	11	N
22 October at 15:23	128 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:13	113 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:04	88 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 15:03	206 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:53	306 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:53	373 MW	24	N21
22 October at 14:49	376 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 14:43	121 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:33	59 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 14:23	88 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 14:13	51 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:10	381 MW	30	N20
22 October at 14:04	223 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:04	157 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:03	106 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:53	232 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 13:49	81 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 13:49	130 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 13:49	204 MW	19	N
22 October at 13:43	178 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 13:33	124 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:23	134 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:19	357 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 13:19	300 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:13	325 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:04	462 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 13:04	294 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:03	171 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 12:53	207 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 12:49	44 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 12:49	92 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:43	97 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 12:34	37 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 12:34	32 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 12:33	155 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 12:23	54 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:13	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 12:03	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:19	60 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 11:04	59 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 08:43	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 18:13	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:14	169 MW	15	N21
21 October at 15:03	93 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 14:49	52 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:49	213 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 14:43	20 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 14:29	231 MW	23	N20
21 October at 14:23	47 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:13	186 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 14:10	321 MW	18	N
21 October at 14:03	121 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 13:53	152 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 13:43	22 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:33	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:32	126 MW	12	N21
21 October at 13:13	26 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:03	40 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:53	17 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:43	39 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:33	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:23	19 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:19	116 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 11:43	30 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 02:39	2 MW	1	N21
21 October at 01:56	2 MW	3	N20
20 October at 16:13	23 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:33	26 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:46	147 MW	15	N20
20 October at 14:27	191 MW	22	N
20 October at 14:23	42 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:19	56 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:53	22 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:51	102 MW	13	N21
20 October at 13:43	38 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:23	46 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:43	45 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:33	25 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 15:08	30 MW	6	N20
19 October at 14:49	43 MW	8	N
19 October at 14:10	128 MW	18	N21
18 October at 17:01	25 MW	2	Aqua
18 October at 15:06	95 MW	3	N
18 October at 14:29	98 MW	11	N21
18 October at 13:47	89 MW	7	N20
17 October at 14:49	16 MW	2	N21
17 October at 14:04	53 MW	8	N20
17 October at 13:45	27 MW	3	N
16 October at 15:08	47 MW	5	N21
16 October at 14:21	73 MW	5	N20
16 October at 14:04	36 MW	7	N
15 October at 14:42	158 MW	14	N20
15 October at 14:21	109 MW	5	N
15 October at 13:47	57 MW	6	N21
14 October at 14:04	36 MW	5	N21
13 October at 14:21	24 MW	4	N21
11 October at 14:17	10 MW	1	N20
10 October at 16:54	21 MW	2	Aqua
9 October at 14:34	5 MW	1	N
9 October at 13:57	3 MW	1	N21
8 October at 15:14	44 MW	6	N20
8 October at 14:53	248 MW	23	N
8 October at 14:17	421 MW	22	N21
8 October at 09:26	7 MW	1	Terra
8 October at 01:44	7 MW	2	N21
7 October at 16:37	118 MW	5	Aqua
7 October at 15:12	123 MW	17	N
7 October at 14:36	171 MW	9	N21
7 October at 13:51	398 MW	45	N20
6 October at 15:31	41 MW	5	N
6 October at 14:53	264 MW	20	N21
6 October at 14:10	263 MW	41	N20
6 October at 13:49	134 MW	19	N
6 October at 02:58	1 MW	1	N
5 October at 16:59	345 MW	6	Aqua
5 October at 15:14	1,387 MW	44	N21
5 October at 14:28	1,250 MW	53	N20
5 October at 14:10	941 MW	62	N
5 October at 13:32	315 MW	24	N21
4 October at 16:22	46 MW	1	Aqua
4 October at 14:46	330 MW	23	N20
4 October at 14:27	226 MW	27	N
4 October at 13:51	159 MW	9	N21
4 October at 01:56	8 MW	7	N
4 October at 01:20	3 MW	2	N21
3 October at 21:38	6 MW	1	Terra
3 October at 15:06	310 MW	30	N20
3 October at 14:49	444 MW	39	N
3 October at 14:10	482 MW	14	N21
2 October at 15:25	10 MW	1	N20
2 October at 15:06	67 MW	3	N
2 October at 14:29	7 MW	1	N21
2 October at 13:47	38 MW	3	N20
1 October at 14:04	11 MW	2	N20
30 September at 15:08	48 MW	5	N21
30 September at 14:21	174 MW	16	N20
30 September at 14:04	120 MW	16	N
29 September at 16:29	67 MW	4	Aqua
29 September at 14:42	190 MW	31	N20
29 September at 14:21	198 MW	25	N
29 September at 13:47	46 MW	5	N21
28 September at 14:59	512 MW	41	N20
28 September at 14:04	707 MW	64	N21
28 September at 09:29	18 MW	1	Terra
28 September at 02:07	0 MW	1	N
27 September at 16:52	328 MW	19	Aqua
27 September at 15:21	669 MW	65	N20
27 September at 14:59	885 MW	78	N
27 September at 14:21	512 MW	51	N21
27 September at 13:38	300 MW	21	N20
26 September at 15:18	391 MW	48	N
26 September at 14:42	578 MW	35	N21
26 September at 13:57	1,488 MW	84	N20
26 September at 02:45	1 MW	1	N
26 September at 02:09	2 MW	3	N21
26 September at 01:26	1 MW	1	N20
25 September at 17:14	74 MW	3	Aqua
25 September at 14:59	1,381 MW	141	N21
25 September at 14:17	834 MW	81	N20
25 September at 13:55	699 MW	78	N
24 September at 16:35	22 MW	1	Aqua
24 September at 14:36	11 MW	3	N20
24 September at 14:17	26 MW	2	N
24 September at 13:40	105 MW	6	N21

8 other fires near Kwando-Kubango (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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