Fire near Mashonaland central (ZW)

16.58°S, 31.22°E · first detected on 6 October at 13:15

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 6 October at 13:15 to 22 October at 01:37, that is 16 days, through 806 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 14,541 ha.

Detected extent: 14,541 ha
Cumulative power: 7,078 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 125 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 806
Estimated emissions: 8.5 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 6 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).

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.

Before, after: the burn scar seen from space

Sentinel-2 satellite image of the same area near Mashonaland central (ZW) during the fire, on 17 October 2026

Sentinel-2 satellite image of the area near Mashonaland central (ZW) before the fire, on 27 September 2026

Before · 27 September 2026During · 17 October 2026

Sentinel-2, 10 m resolution. No sufficiently clear pass has followed the fire going out yet: the second image was taken DURING the fire, so the burn scar had not finished spreading. It will be replaced automatically at the first clear sky. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel-2 data (2026).

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 18 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 13:52	209 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 13:49	164 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:49	244 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 13:42	55 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 13:32	36 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:52	48 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 01:37	4 MW	3	N20
22 October at 01:18	2 MW	3	N
22 October at 00:40	20 MW	3	N21
21 October at 15:40	33 MW	2	Aqua
21 October at 14:27	4 MW	1	N20
21 October at 14:08	5 MW	1	N
21 October at 13:32	23 MW	4	N21
21 October at 12:47	5 MW	1	N20
21 October at 01:56	23 MW	14	N20
21 October at 01:35	53 MW	26	N
21 October at 00:59	73 MW	28	N21
21 October at 00:52	30 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 23:32	16 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 22:32	15 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 22:22	20 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 21:52	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 18:32	30 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 17:02	16 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:52	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:42	21 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:22	69 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 16:12	41 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 16:04	123 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 16:02	117 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 15:52	100 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 15:49	96 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:49	122 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 15:42	275 MW	9	Met12
20 October at 15:34	91 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:34	47 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 15:32	130 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 15:22	79 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 15:19	74 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:12	118 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 15:04	109 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 15:02	109 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:52	99 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:49	54 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:49	37 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:42	119 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:34	62 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 14:34	133 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 14:32	283 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 14:27	313 MW	26	N
20 October at 14:22	262 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 14:19	89 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 14:19	63 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:12	97 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:02	29 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:52	95 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 13:49	68 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 13:49	272 MW	23	N21
20 October at 13:42	110 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 13:32	47 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:22	56 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 13:12	146 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 13:06	158 MW	13	N20
20 October at 13:02	60 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:52	34 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:45	108 MW	10	N
20 October at 12:42	66 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:34	38 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 12:32	105 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 12:22	115 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 12:12	29 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:02	60 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 11:52	77 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 11:42	105 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 11:34	137 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 11:34	103 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 11:32	155 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 11:22	94 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 11:12	79 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 11:02	20 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 10:52	63 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 10:42	48 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 10:34	44 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 10:32	75 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 10:22	31 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 10:02	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 09:22	23 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 09:02	18 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 08:52	41 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 08:42	65 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 01:56	19 MW	6	N
20 October at 01:18	47 MW	14	N21
20 October at 00:33	64 MW	15	N20
19 October at 20:34	14 MW	2	Terra
19 October at 16:52	11 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 16:01	75 MW	6	Aqua
19 October at 15:12	11 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 14:32	24 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 14:12	33 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 14:10	94 MW	6	N21
19 October at 13:25	70 MW	8	N20
19 October at 13:06	51 MW	8	N
19 October at 11:49	71 MW	1	Met10
19 October at 08:25	12 MW	1	Terra
19 October at 02:13	26 MW	10	N
19 October at 01:37	43 MW	10	N21
19 October at 00:54	24 MW	10	N20
19 October at 00:33	16 MW	5	N
18 October at 14:27	121 MW	10	N21
18 October at 13:45	143 MW	22	N20
18 October at 13:23	168 MW	19	N
18 October at 12:47	45 MW	8	N21
18 October at 01:12	8 MW	7	N20
18 October at 00:52	2 MW	2	N
17 October at 14:04	90 MW	11	N20
17 October at 13:45	122 MW	12	N
17 October at 13:06	28 MW	5	N21
17 October at 01:31	12 MW	7	N20
17 October at 01:12	14 MW	9	N
17 October at 00:33	9 MW	7	N21
16 October at 13:25	16 MW	1	N21
16 October at 01:50	0 MW	1	N20
16 October at 00:54	1 MW	1	N21
15 October at 13:00	4 MW	2	N20
15 October at 01:50	2 MW	2	N
15 October at 01:12	2 MW	2	N21
15 October at 00:27	1 MW	2	N20
14 October at 16:08	67 MW	2	Aqua
14 October at 08:25	8 MW	1	Terra
14 October at 02:07	2 MW	2	N
14 October at 01:31	3 MW	4	N21
14 October at 00:48	1 MW	1	N20
14 October at 00:29	3 MW	3	N
13 October at 15:29	179 MW	4	Aqua
13 October at 14:21	172 MW	8	N21
13 October at 13:38	300 MW	31	N20
12 October at 13:00	149 MW	7	N21
12 October at 00:29	1 MW	1	N21
11 October at 15:53	231 MW	5	Aqua
11 October at 14:17	201 MW	19	N20
11 October at 13:55	141 MW	12	N
11 October at 13:19	109 MW	12	N21
11 October at 01:44	1 MW	1	N20
11 October at 01:24	2 MW	1	N
11 October at 00:48	7 MW	4	N21
10 October at 14:34	10 MW	1	N20
10 October at 14:14	121 MW	9	N
10 October at 13:38	34 MW	3	N21
9 October at 01:26	0 MW	1	N21
9 October at 00:40	1 MW	1	N20
8 October at 14:17	33 MW	3	N21
8 October at 13:32	29 MW	2	N20
8 October at 00:59	1 MW	1	N20
7 October at 13:49	32 MW	6	N20
7 October at 13:31	20 MW	3	N
6 October at 14:10	11 MW	1	N20
6 October at 13:49	22 MW	3	N
6 October at 13:15	26 MW	2	N21

8 other fires near Mashonaland central (ZW)

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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