Fire near Matabeleland septentrional (ZW)

17.79°S, 27.56°E · first detected on 16 October at 13:25

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 16 October at 13:25 to 23 October at 02:05, that is 7 days, through 220 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 2,540 ha.

Detected extent: 2,540 ha
Cumulative power: 1,861 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 33 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 220
Estimated emissions: 2.1 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 16 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 9 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 02:05	5 MW	2	N21
23 October at 01:20	15 MW	7	N20
23 October at 01:00	6 MW	2	N
22 October at 15:12	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:32	31 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:10	101 MW	8	N20
22 October at 14:02	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 13:49	54 MW	6	N
22 October at 13:13	58 MW	5	N21
22 October at 01:37	9 MW	5	N20
22 October at 01:18	6 MW	2	N
22 October at 00:42	4 MW	3	N21
21 October at 16:19	27 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 16:19	32 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 15:34	47 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:19	54 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 15:19	51 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:04	132 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 15:04	82 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:49	67 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:49	72 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:34	64 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:34	70 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:27	74 MW	16	N20
21 October at 14:19	74 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:19	75 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:08	116 MW	15	N
21 October at 14:04	82 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:04	83 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:02	16 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:52	27 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:49	84 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:49	83 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 13:42	39 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:34	85 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 13:34	92 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:32	156 MW	13	N21
21 October at 13:32	49 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 13:22	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:19	76 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 13:19	89 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:12	29 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:04	80 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 13:04	138 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 13:02	29 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:52	45 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 12:49	90 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 12:49	89 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 12:42	62 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 12:34	221 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 12:34	97 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 12:32	34 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:22	26 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:19	108 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 12:19	230 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 12:12	68 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 12:04	114 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 12:04	280 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 12:02	58 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 11:52	80 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 11:49	171 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 11:49	108 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 11:42	86 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 11:34	100 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 11:34	99 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 11:32	46 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 11:19	98 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 11:19	85 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 11:04	84 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 11:04	75 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:52	29 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:49	83 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:49	141 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 10:42	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:34	77 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:34	131 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 10:19	122 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 10:19	76 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:04	76 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:04	123 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 09:49	63 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 09:49	102 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 09:34	60 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 09:34	50 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 09:19	39 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 09:19	50 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 09:03	37 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 08:49	45 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 01:37	10 MW	5	N
21 October at 00:59	3 MW	1	N21
20 October at 21:15	13 MW	1	Terra
20 October at 17:02	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:52	15 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:42	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:32	30 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:22	20 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:12	21 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:04	90 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 16:02	24 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:52	64 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:49	168 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 15:49	141 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:42	176 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 15:34	73 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 15:34	73 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 15:32	25 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:22	48 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:19	167 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:19	147 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:12	56 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:04	83 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 15:04	79 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 15:02	93 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:52	174 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:49	185 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 14:49	165 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 14:46	249 MW	16	N20
20 October at 14:42	306 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:34	64 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:34	72 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:27	108 MW	15	N
20 October at 14:22	20 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:19	79 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:19	79 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:12	55 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:04	74 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:04	79 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:02	36 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:52	38 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:49	87 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:49	126 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 13:49	197 MW	20	N21
20 October at 13:42	73 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 13:34	108 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 13:34	107 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:32	130 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 13:22	88 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 13:19	96 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 13:19	105 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:12	117 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 13:06	215 MW	27	N20
20 October at 13:04	92 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 13:04	106 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:02	53 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:52	67 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:49	82 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 12:49	95 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:42	76 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:34	97 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 12:34	111 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:32	156 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 12:22	73 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:19	113 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:19	156 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 12:12	124 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 12:04	85 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 12:04	141 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:02	23 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 11:52	68 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 11:49	172 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 11:49	171 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 11:42	76 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 11:34	153 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 11:34	90 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 11:32	64 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 11:22	37 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 11:19	104 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 11:19	109 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 11:12	28 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 11:04	92 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 11:04	86 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 11:02	43 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 10:49	59 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 10:49	68 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 10:34	55 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 02:16	4 MW	1	N20
20 October at 01:56	2 MW	1	N
20 October at 01:20	10 MW	3	N21
20 October at 00:35	4 MW	1	N20
19 October at 16:01	43 MW	4	Aqua
19 October at 14:46	151 MW	14	N
19 October at 14:10	103 MW	7	N21
19 October at 13:25	64 MW	5	N20
19 October at 13:06	16 MW	2	N
16 October at 14:21	7 MW	1	N20
16 October at 13:25	4 MW	1	N21

7 other fires near Matabeleland septentrional (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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