Fire near Ruvuma (TZ)

9.55°S, 35.51°E · first detected on 6 October at 12:30

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 6 October at 12:30 to 22 October at 14:12, that is 16 days, through 193 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 3,622 ha.

Detected extent: 3,622 ha
Cumulative power: 4,650 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 283 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 193
Estimated emissions: 8.6 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). 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 19 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 01:16	4 MW	4	N20
23 October at 00:59	3 MW	3	N
23 October at 00:20	3 MW	2	N21
22 October at 17:43	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:23	12 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:13	12 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:03	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:53	16 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:50	29 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 16:50	42 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:43	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:35	19 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:33	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:23	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:20	42 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:20	31 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 16:13	72 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 16:05	49 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:05	33 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 16:03	41 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:53	38 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:50	68 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 15:50	63 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:43	39 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:35	94 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 15:35	69 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 15:33	39 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:23	42 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:20	99 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 15:20	92 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 15:13	43 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:05	45 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 15:05	61 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:03	22 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:53	42 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:50	72 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 14:50	45 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 14:43	104 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 14:35	108 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 14:35	60 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 14:33	81 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 14:23	158 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:20	150 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:20	99 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:13	21 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:12	147 MW	14	N20
22 October at 14:05	279 MW	8	Met9
22 October at 14:03	72 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:53	142 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 13:51	377 MW	31	N
22 October at 13:50	124 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:50	395 MW	11	Met9
22 October at 13:43	416 MW	15	Met12
22 October at 13:35	826 MW	17	Met9
22 October at 13:35	214 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:33	359 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 13:23	723 MW	18	Met12
22 October at 13:20	983 MW	7	Met10
22 October at 13:20	1,909 MW	21	Met9
22 October at 13:15	1,579 MW	51	N21
22 October at 13:13	988 MW	24	Met12
22 October at 13:05	2,596 MW	24	Met9
22 October at 13:05	1,497 MW	11	Met10
22 October at 13:03	1,322 MW	28	Met12
22 October at 12:53	2,240 MW	29	Met12
22 October at 12:50	2,871 MW	15	Met10
22 October at 12:50	2,578 MW	17	Met9
22 October at 12:43	1,316 MW	19	Met12
22 October at 12:35	1,739 MW	13	Met9
22 October at 12:35	880 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 12:33	241 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 12:30	937 MW	26	N20
22 October at 12:23	925 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 12:20	605 MW	5	Met10
22 October at 12:20	880 MW	10	Met9
22 October at 12:13	242 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 12:05	298 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 12:05	80 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 12:03	85 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:50	88 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 11:43	30 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 11:23	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:20	86 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 11:05	87 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 10:50	69 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 10:35	75 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:50	33 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:43	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 14:33	50 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:23	76 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:20	53 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:13	124 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:10	186 MW	9	N
21 October at 14:05	121 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 14:03	179 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 13:53	423 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 13:50	509 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 13:43	543 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 13:35	503 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 13:35	1,506 MW	7	Met9
21 October at 13:34	200 MW	9	N21
21 October at 13:33	547 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 13:23	809 MW	14	Met12
21 October at 13:20	655 MW	6	Met9
21 October at 13:13	281 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 13:03	28 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:05	21 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 16:03	16 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:53	55 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 15:50	136 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 15:50	53 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 15:43	28 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:05	26 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:50	31 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:20	49 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 14:13	23 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:05	110 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 14:03	32 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:53	92 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 13:51	97 MW	10	N21
20 October at 13:50	177 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 13:43	150 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 13:35	320 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 13:33	273 MW	9	Met12
20 October at 13:23	438 MW	9	Met12
20 October at 13:20	522 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 13:20	1,075 MW	11	Met9
20 October at 13:13	250 MW	10	Met12
20 October at 13:08	744 MW	18	N20
20 October at 13:05	1,661 MW	13	Met9
20 October at 13:05	714 MW	3	Met10
20 October at 13:03	447 MW	12	Met12
20 October at 12:53	344 MW	9	Met12
20 October at 12:50	91 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:47	199 MW	16	N
20 October at 12:43	170 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 12:35	106 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:33	116 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:23	151 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:20	171 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:13	243 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:05	156 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:03	124 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 13:28	173 MW	3	N20
19 October at 13:08	159 MW	11	N
18 October at 13:47	11 MW	1	N20
18 October at 13:25	6 MW	1	N
17 October at 13:47	17 MW	3	N
17 October at 13:08	24 MW	4	N21
16 October at 15:46	48 MW	3	Aqua
16 October at 13:28	558 MW	8	N21
16 October at 12:43	55 MW	3	N20
16 October at 00:52	3 MW	2	N21
15 October at 15:08	27 MW	1	Aqua
15 October at 13:47	114 MW	10	N21
15 October at 13:02	188 MW	4	N20
14 October at 13:19	87 MW	1	N20
14 October at 13:02	34 MW	5	N
13 October at 13:40	63 MW	6	N20
12 October at 13:02	6 MW	1	N21
10 October at 15:16	17 MW	2	Aqua
10 October at 14:17	18 MW	1	N
10 October at 13:40	152 MW	5	N21
10 October at 12:56	24 MW	3	N20
10 October at 12:36	68 MW	8	N
9 October at 13:13	47 MW	12	N20
9 October at 12:56	29 MW	5	N
8 October at 13:34	46 MW	5	N20
8 October at 13:15	62 MW	9	N
8 October at 12:38	73 MW	3	N21
6 October at 13:51	22 MW	1	N
6 October at 13:15	38 MW	6	N21
6 October at 12:30	38 MW	2	N20

8 other fires near Ruvuma (TZ)

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.

Follow live

The map shows active fires in 3D, with smoke plumes, forecast wind, drop zones and the live position of water bombers tracked by ADS-B, anywhere in the world.

Open the fire map

Take the data of this fire with you

A ready-to-use archive, paid once, no subscription. It contains:

the satellite detections of the fire
the contours of its progression
the drops and the aircraft tracks
the lightning around it
the severity of the burned area, when computed

From €20.00 excl. VAT, six formats to choose from, link valid for 30 days.

Download the data

Pro subscribers: included. €49 excl. VAT a month, no commitment. The public map stays free. Discover GISFire Pro

© 2026 SARO · Gistin. All rights reserved. The interface, its presentation and the contents of GISFire are protected; reproducing or imitating them requires written permission. The source data remain the property of their respective producers, see the credits.

Legal notice · Privacy policy · · GISFire v2.4.2