Fire near Sofala (MZ)

18.74°S, 34.49°E · first detected on 17 October at 13:06

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 17 October at 13:06 to 22 October at 14:08, that is 5 days, through 195 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 2,546 ha.

Detected extent: 2,546 ha
Cumulative power: 2,776 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 110 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 195
Estimated emissions: 3.3 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 17 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 8 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 17:12	15 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:19	37 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:12	36 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:04	33 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:02	30 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:49	42 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 15:49	62 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:34	80 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:34	54 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 15:32	22 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:22	28 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:19	41 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 15:04	113 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 15:04	102 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:02	36 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:49	131 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 14:49	131 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 14:34	159 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:34	80 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 14:32	25 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:22	53 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:19	86 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 14:19	165 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:12	131 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 14:08	176 MW	19	N20
22 October at 14:04	266 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:04	120 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 14:02	69 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 13:52	188 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:49	175 MW	11	N
22 October at 13:49	262 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 13:49	222 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:42	33 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 13:34	422 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 13:34	371 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:32	226 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:22	323 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 13:19	410 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:19	446 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 13:13	615 MW	13	N21
22 October at 13:12	454 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 13:04	828 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 13:04	894 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 13:02	299 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 12:52	187 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 12:49	383 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:49	272 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 12:42	233 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 12:34	611 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:34	655 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:32	377 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 12:28	96 MW	4	N20
22 October at 12:22	193 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 12:19	533 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:19	497 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:12	139 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 12:04	643 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:04	586 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 12:02	397 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 11:52	336 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:49	597 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 11:49	536 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 11:42	17 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:34	221 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 11:34	285 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 11:32	39 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:22	58 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 11:19	184 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 11:19	186 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 11:04	327 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 11:03	395 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 11:02	122 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 10:52	82 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 10:49	220 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 10:48	346 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 10:42	20 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 10:34	183 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 10:33	323 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 10:32	58 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 10:22	15 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 10:18	164 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 10:18	310 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 10:12	25 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 10:03	220 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 10:03	137 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 10:02	29 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:52	22 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:48	286 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 09:48	143 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 09:42	58 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:33	204 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 09:33	151 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 09:32	18 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:22	22 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 09:18	70 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 09:18	62 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 08:48	54 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 20:13	8 MW	1	Terra
21 October at 17:49	29 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 17:49	28 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:42	87 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 17:34	27 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 17:34	27 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 17:32	25 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:22	10 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:52	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:49	26 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 15:42	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:40	46 MW	5	Aqua
21 October at 15:34	65 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 15:32	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:19	74 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 15:12	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:04	71 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 14:49	40 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:34	43 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:19	43 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:08	39 MW	9	N
21 October at 14:04	103 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 13:49	108 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 13:34	101 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 13:32	66 MW	10	N21
21 October at 13:19	55 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:12	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:04	64 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 12:49	115 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 12:45	21 MW	7	N20
21 October at 12:34	129 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 12:19	69 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 12:04	63 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 11:22	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:04	141 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 11:02	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:52	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:49	111 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 10:48	145 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 10:42	17 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:33	70 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:32	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:22	10 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:18	64 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:12	22 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 09:52	26 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 00:59	3 MW	2	N21
20 October at 16:12	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:42	22 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:32	26 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:22	26 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:12	41 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:04	90 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:02	27 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:59	46 MW	1	Aqua
20 October at 14:52	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:42	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:25	9 MW	2	N
20 October at 14:22	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 13:49	24 MW	2	N21
20 October at 13:32	15 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 13:06	25 MW	4	N20
20 October at 12:45	12 MW	2	N
20 October at 10:22	109 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 10:18	375 MW	4	Met10
20 October at 10:18	202 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 10:12	65 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 10:03	161 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 10:03	248 MW	3	Met10
20 October at 10:02	28 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 09:52	31 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 09:48	170 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 09:48	238 MW	3	Met10
20 October at 09:42	53 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 09:33	116 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 09:32	28 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 09:22	74 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 09:03	64 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 08:52	24 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 08:49	109 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 08:48	119 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 08:42	36 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 08:32	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 01:56	4 MW	2	N
20 October at 01:20	3 MW	1	N21
20 October at 00:35	16 MW	7	N20
20 October at 00:16	3 MW	1	N
19 October at 20:34	6 MW	1	Terra
19 October at 15:59	169 MW	5	Aqua
19 October at 14:08	521 MW	22	N21
19 October at 13:23	225 MW	14	N20
19 October at 13:04	144 MW	12	N
19 October at 12:28	53 MW	5	N21
19 October at 08:25	9 MW	1	Terra
19 October at 00:54	7 MW	4	N20
19 October at 00:33	5 MW	4	N
18 October at 23:57	6 MW	1	N21
18 October at 15:23	11 MW	1	Aqua
18 October at 13:45	10 MW	1	N20
18 October at 13:23	27 MW	5	N
18 October at 12:45	76 MW	5	N21
18 October at 01:14	2 MW	2	N20
18 October at 00:54	2 MW	1	N
17 October at 14:02	6 MW	2	N20
17 October at 13:42	102 MW	5	N
17 October at 13:06	11 MW	1	N21

8 other fires near Sofala (MZ)

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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