Fire near Mpumalanga (ZA)

26.99°S, 30.98°E · first detected on 21 October at 14:06

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 21 October at 14:06 to 22 October at 20:49, through 54 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,223 ha.

Detected extent: 1,223 ha
Cumulative power: 4,946 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 242 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 54
Estimated emissions: 76 t of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 21 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 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
22 October at 20:49	17 MW	2	Terra
22 October at 20:22	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:52	15 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 19:48	57 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 19:42	29 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 19:33	60 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 19:32	45 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 19:22	42 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 19:18	64 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 19:12	36 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 19:03	69 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 19:02	40 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 18:52	30 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:48	94 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 18:48	117 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 18:42	65 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 18:33	196 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 18:33	198 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 18:32	49 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 18:22	150 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 18:18	287 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 18:18	302 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 18:12	289 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 18:03	187 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 18:03	202 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 18:02	61 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:52	68 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 17:48	153 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 17:48	159 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 17:42	62 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:33	74 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 17:33	127 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 17:32	68 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 17:22	81 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 17:18	136 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 17:18	110 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 17:12	88 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 17:03	171 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 17:03	165 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 17:02	89 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:52	101 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:48	178 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:48	181 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 16:42	80 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:33	196 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:33	193 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 16:32	68 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:22	134 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 16:18	240 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:18	260 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 16:14	243 MW	4	Aqua
22 October at 16:12	160 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 16:03	325 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 16:03	287 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:02	195 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:52	369 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 15:48	460 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:48	546 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:42	417 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 15:33	631 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:33	688 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:32	511 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 15:22	738 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 15:18	975 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 15:18	810 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:12	822 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 15:03	875 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 15:03	941 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:02	686 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 14:52	644 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 14:48	894 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 14:48	804 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:42	679 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:33	1,015 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 14:33	1,033 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 14:32	810 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:22	902 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:18	1,110 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 14:18	1,206 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 14:12	1,178 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:06	1,192 MW	8	N20
22 October at 14:03	1,203 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 14:03	1,410 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 14:02	1,490 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:52	2,031 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:48	1,224 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 13:48	1,277 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 13:47	1,828 MW	13	N
22 October at 13:42	1,961 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:33	1,331 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 13:33	1,613 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 13:32	2,034 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 13:22	1,538 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:18	1,561 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 13:18	1,120 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 13:12	1,706 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 13:10	1,370 MW	10	N21
22 October at 13:03	1,219 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:03	1,484 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 13:02	1,450 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 12:52	977 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 12:48	1,250 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:48	1,074 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:42	1,066 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 12:33	1,111 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:33	1,236 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:32	1,137 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 12:22	599 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 12:18	599 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:18	487 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 12:12	405 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 12:03	327 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 12:03	403 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:02	216 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:52	239 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:48	323 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 11:48	429 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 11:42	245 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:33	425 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 11:33	324 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 11:32	223 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 11:22	201 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:18	376 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 11:18	322 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 11:12	146 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:03	58 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 11:02	46 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 10:52	38 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 10:48	41 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 10:42	25 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 10:32	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 10:22	14 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 10:18	36 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 10:03	41 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 10:02	46 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 09:52	20 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:32	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:22	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:12	28 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 09:02	42 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 08:52	64 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 08:47	35 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 08:44	111 MW	3	Terra
22 October at 08:42	41 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 01:39	5 MW	3	N20
22 October at 01:20	3 MW	2	N
22 October at 00:44	2 MW	1	N21
21 October at 20:42	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 20:33	17 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 20:32	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 20:18	16 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 20:03	15 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 20:02	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 17:32	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 17:22	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 17:18	21 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:12	33 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 17:03	35 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:02	37 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:52	56 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:48	83 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 16:48	84 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 16:42	93 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:33	122 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 16:33	144 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 16:32	154 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 16:22	186 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 16:18	214 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 16:18	211 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 16:12	170 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 16:03	244 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 16:03	184 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 16:02	214 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 15:52	237 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 15:48	169 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 15:48	164 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 15:42	113 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 15:38	146 MW	2	Aqua
21 October at 15:33	144 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 15:33	109 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 15:32	117 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:22	112 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 15:18	131 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 15:18	116 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 15:12	104 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 15:03	103 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 15:03	97 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 15:02	99 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:52	47 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:48	41 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:42	40 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:32	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 14:25	26 MW	5	N20
21 October at 14:06	2 MW	1	N

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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