Fire near Limpopo (ZA)

23.45°S, 29.61°E · first detected on 22 October at 13:47

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 22 October at 13:47 to 22 October at 20:51, through 26 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,751 ha.

Detected extent: 1,751 ha
Cumulative power: 3,312 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 636 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 26

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 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
23 October at 04:12	14 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 04:03	78 MW	2	Met10
23 October at 04:03	109 MW	3	Met9
23 October at 04:02	12 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 03:48	189 MW	4	Met10
23 October at 03:48	197 MW	4	Met9
23 October at 03:33	465 MW	4	Met10
23 October at 03:33	469 MW	4	Met9
23 October at 03:32	241 MW	6	Met12
23 October at 03:22	370 MW	7	Met12
23 October at 03:18	985 MW	5	Met9
23 October at 03:18	874 MW	5	Met10
23 October at 03:12	517 MW	7	Met12
23 October at 03:03	966 MW	6	Met10
23 October at 03:03	401 MW	2	Met9
23 October at 03:02	632 MW	10	Met12
23 October at 02:52	129 MW	3	Met12
23 October at 02:48	499 MW	4	Met9
23 October at 02:48	572 MW	6	Met10
23 October at 02:42	97 MW	2	Met12
23 October at 02:33	887 MW	4	Met9
23 October at 02:33	973 MW	5	Met10
23 October at 02:18	635 MW	3	Met9
23 October at 02:18	677 MW	6	Met10
23 October at 02:12	713 MW	10	Met12
23 October at 02:05	1,261 MW	34	N21
23 October at 02:03	2,111 MW	7	Met10
23 October at 02:03	1,958 MW	5	Met9
23 October at 02:02	1,093 MW	12	Met12
23 October at 01:42	328 MW	9	Met12
23 October at 01:33	401 MW	6	Met10
23 October at 01:32	346 MW	10	Met12
23 October at 01:22	416 MW	11	Met12
23 October at 01:20	494 MW	46	N20
23 October at 01:18	518 MW	6	Met10
23 October at 01:18	494 MW	8	Met9
23 October at 01:12	101 MW	4	Met12
23 October at 01:03	278 MW	5	Met9
23 October at 01:03	306 MW	4	Met10
23 October at 01:02	258 MW	9	Met12
23 October at 01:01	255 MW	30	N
23 October at 00:52	79 MW	3	Met12
23 October at 00:48	228 MW	5	Met9
23 October at 00:48	274 MW	4	Met10
23 October at 00:42	68 MW	2	Met12
23 October at 00:33	364 MW	4	Met10
23 October at 00:33	302 MW	5	Met9
23 October at 00:32	24 MW	2	Met12
23 October at 00:22	197 MW	5	Met12
23 October at 00:22	342 MW	21	N21
23 October at 00:18	382 MW	8	Met9
23 October at 00:18	426 MW	6	Met10
23 October at 00:12	59 MW	3	Met12
23 October at 00:03	172 MW	5	Met10
23 October at 00:03	136 MW	6	Met9
23 October at 00:02	24 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 23:52	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 23:48	140 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 23:48	97 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 23:42	69 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 23:33	101 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 23:33	64 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 23:32	33 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 23:22	27 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 23:19	111 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 23:18	94 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 23:12	87 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 23:04	133 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 23:03	139 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 23:02	110 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 22:52	136 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 22:49	166 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 22:48	172 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 22:42	54 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 22:34	84 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 22:33	71 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 22:32	75 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 22:22	15 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 22:19	156 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 22:18	164 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 22:12	52 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 22:04	94 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 22:03	104 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 22:02	41 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 21:52	80 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 21:49	110 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 21:48	115 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 21:42	22 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 21:34	29 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 21:33	27 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 21:32	19 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 20:52	41 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 20:51	86 MW	3	Terra
22 October at 20:49	114 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 20:48	129 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 20:42	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:49	29 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 19:34	66 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 19:33	67 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 19:19	65 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 19:18	69 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 19:12	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:04	75 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 19:03	36 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 18:49	153 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 18:48	132 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 18:34	158 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 18:33	156 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 18:19	172 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 18:18	149 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 18:12	21 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:04	230 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 18:03	215 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 18:02	42 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:52	415 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 17:49	649 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 17:48	663 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 17:42	313 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 17:34	579 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 17:33	615 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 17:32	297 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 17:22	325 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 17:19	535 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 17:18	600 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 17:12	547 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 17:04	465 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 17:03	469 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 17:02	326 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 16:52	440 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 16:49	584 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 16:48	660 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 16:42	556 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 16:34	1,069 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 16:33	1,256 MW	7	Met10
22 October at 16:32	884 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 16:22	632 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 16:19	923 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 16:18	1,063 MW	7	Met10
22 October at 16:14	962 MW	16	Aqua
22 October at 16:12	746 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 16:04	1,269 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 16:03	1,506 MW	8	Met10
22 October at 16:02	660 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 15:52	2,455 MW	18	Met12
22 October at 15:48	1,856 MW	7	Met10
22 October at 15:48	1,685 MW	7	Met9
22 October at 15:42	1,285 MW	17	Met12
22 October at 15:33	1,104 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 15:33	1,191 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 15:32	1,042 MW	17	Met12
22 October at 15:22	1,020 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 15:18	1,371 MW	8	Met9
22 October at 15:18	1,340 MW	7	Met10
22 October at 15:12	941 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 15:03	1,144 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 15:03	950 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 15:02	914 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 14:52	677 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 14:48	1,202 MW	7	Met9
22 October at 14:48	1,360 MW	7	Met10
22 October at 14:42	610 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:33	836 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:33	814 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 14:32	834 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:22	433 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 14:18	661 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 14:18	602 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:12	1,224 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 14:08	2,158 MW	7	N20
22 October at 14:03	942 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 14:03	863 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:02	901 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:52	194 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 13:48	225 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:48	92 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 13:47	125 MW	1	N

8 other fires near Limpopo (ZA)

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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