Fire near Mpumalanga (ZA)

25.38°S, 30.65°E · first detected on 21 October at 13:18

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 21 October at 13:18 to 23 October at 02:07, that is 2 days, through 124 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,938 ha.

Detected extent: 1,938 ha
Cumulative power: 7,815 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 1,668 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 124

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 4 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 03:42	10 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 02:52	14 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 02:48	34 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 02:33	38 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 02:07	17 MW	5	N21
23 October at 02:03	33 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 01:42	11 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 01:32	11 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 01:22	23 MW	2	Met12
23 October at 01:22	63 MW	28	N20
23 October at 01:18	31 MW	1	Met10
23 October at 01:18	34 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 01:12	27 MW	2	Met12
23 October at 01:03	39 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 01:03	65 MW	2	Met10
23 October at 01:02	13 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 01:01	71 MW	26	N
23 October at 00:52	10 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 00:48	63 MW	2	Met10
23 October at 00:48	40 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 00:42	11 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 00:33	69 MW	2	Met10
23 October at 00:33	40 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 00:22	66 MW	19	N21
23 October at 00:18	68 MW	2	Met10
23 October at 00:18	43 MW	1	Met9
23 October at 00:12	10 MW	1	Met12
23 October at 00:03	86 MW	3	Met9
23 October at 00:03	84 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 23:48	87 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 23:48	119 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 23:42	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 23:33	99 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 23:33	123 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 23:32	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 23:22	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 23:18	137 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 23:18	133 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 23:12	52 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 23:03	146 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 23:03	107 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 23:02	38 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 22:52	43 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 22:48	150 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 22:48	190 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 22:42	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 22:33	134 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 22:33	194 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 22:32	37 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 22:22	26 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 22:18	214 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 22:18	181 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 22:12	37 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 22:03	149 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 22:03	217 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 22:02	104 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 21:52	52 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 21:48	239 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 21:48	161 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 21:42	59 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 21:33	273 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 21:33	186 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 21:22	112 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 21:18	213 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 21:18	304 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 21:12	83 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 21:03	317 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 21:03	296 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 21:02	78 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 20:52	21 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 20:51	313 MW	14	Terra
22 October at 20:48	297 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 20:48	341 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 20:42	151 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 20:33	395 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 20:33	357 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 20:32	146 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 20:22	124 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 20:18	413 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 20:18	459 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 20:12	167 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 20:03	415 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 20:03	467 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 20:02	94 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 19:52	224 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 19:48	511 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 19:48	595 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 19:42	110 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 19:33	641 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 19:33	761 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 19:32	315 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 19:22	332 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 19:19	781 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 19:18	660 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 19:12	581 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 19:04	906 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 19:03	784 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 19:02	341 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 18:52	473 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 18:49	1,070 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 18:48	1,026 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 18:42	467 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 18:34	1,379 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 18:33	1,268 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 18:32	454 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 18:22	1,027 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 18:19	1,521 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 18:18	1,616 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 18:12	1,432 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 18:04	2,045 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 18:03	1,958 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 18:02	1,531 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 17:52	1,930 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 17:49	1,955 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 17:48	2,084 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 17:42	2,937 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 17:34	31 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:33	2,188 MW	7	Met9
22 October at 17:33	1,688 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 17:32	2,763 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 17:22	3,659 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 17:18	1,462 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 17:18	2,319 MW	7	Met9
22 October at 17:12	3,976 MW	15	Met12
22 October at 17:03	2,383 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 17:03	2,529 MW	8	Met9
22 October at 17:02	4,992 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 16:52	4,896 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 16:48	2,654 MW	8	Met9
22 October at 16:48	2,445 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 16:42	4,468 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 16:33	2,623 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 16:33	2,236 MW	7	Met9
22 October at 16:32	2,687 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 16:22	4,954 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 16:18	1,992 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 16:18	2,756 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 16:14	6,152 MW	10	Aqua
22 October at 16:12	4,777 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 16:03	2,899 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 16:03	2,316 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 16:02	2,959 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 15:52	6,150 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 15:48	2,524 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 15:48	2,440 MW	8	Met9
22 October at 15:42	2,954 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 15:33	1,747 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 15:33	2,397 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 15:32	6,588 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 15:22	6,590 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 15:18	2,303 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 15:18	2,115 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 15:12	5,285 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 15:03	2,226 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 15:03	1,616 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 15:02	4,922 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 14:52	5,512 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 14:48	2,036 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 14:48	2,079 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 14:42	3,457 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:33	2,197 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 14:33	2,154 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 14:32	2,519 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 14:22	3,062 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 14:18	1,746 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 14:18	1,753 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 14:12	1,019 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:08	664 MW	9	N20
22 October at 14:03	441 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:03	428 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:02	348 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 13:52	235 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 13:49	298 MW	9	N
22 October at 13:48	373 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:48	254 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:42	173 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:33	545 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:33	499 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:32	443 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:22	336 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:18	339 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:18	401 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:12	314 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 13:10	170 MW	4	N21
22 October at 13:03	195 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:03	104 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:02	57 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:52	75 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 12:48	121 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:48	200 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 16:33	55 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 16:18	139 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 16:03	136 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 15:48	195 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 15:33	785 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 15:33	1,338 MW	5	Met9
21 October at 15:18	1,058 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 15:18	1,263 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 13:33	100 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:18	71 MW	1	Met9

8 other fires near Mpumalanga (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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