Fire near Sofala (MZ)

19.71°S, 34.24°E · first detected on 7 October at 13:30

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 7 October at 13:30 to 22 October at 14:08, that is 15 days, through 1,195 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 19,075 ha.

Detected extent: 19,075 ha
Cumulative power: 10,978 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 190 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 1,195
Estimated emissions: 13.2 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 7 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 18 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 17:04	26 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 16:32	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:22	14 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:12	32 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:04	81 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:02	71 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 15:52	67 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:49	104 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 15:49	89 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:42	103 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:34	136 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 15:34	169 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 15:32	166 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 15:22	316 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 15:19	310 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:19	217 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 15:12	346 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:04	430 MW	4	Met10
22 October at 15:04	515 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 15:02	388 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 14:52	566 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 14:49	683 MW	6	Met10
22 October at 14:49	717 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:42	279 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 14:34	39 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 14:32	175 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 14:22	284 MW	15	Met12
22 October at 14:19	103 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 14:12	321 MW	14	Met12
22 October at 14:08	670 MW	83	N20
22 October at 14:04	330 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 14:04	236 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 14:02	312 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:52	197 MW	11	Met12
22 October at 13:49	55 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 13:49	110 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 13:47	755 MW	76	N
22 October at 13:42	316 MW	17	Met12
22 October at 13:34	274 MW	6	Met9
22 October at 13:34	73 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 13:32	260 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 13:22	445 MW	21	Met12
22 October at 13:19	361 MW	7	Met9
22 October at 13:19	196 MW	2	Met10
22 October at 13:13	280 MW	23	N21
22 October at 13:12	437 MW	16	Met12
22 October at 13:04	322 MW	5	Met9
22 October at 13:04	228 MW	3	Met10
22 October at 13:02	327 MW	13	Met12
22 October at 12:52	227 MW	12	Met12
22 October at 12:49	57 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 12:49	86 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 12:42	112 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 12:32	90 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 12:22	89 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 12:18	52 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 12:18	68 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 12:12	38 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 12:02	28 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 11:33	48 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 11:32	38 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 10:42	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 10:32	16 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:42	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:38	110 MW	10	Aqua
21 October at 15:34	30 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 15:34	30 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:32	71 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:22	152 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 15:19	45 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:19	90 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 15:12	21 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:02	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 14:52	76 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 14:49	57 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 14:42	122 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 14:34	120 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 14:32	123 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 14:27	131 MW	15	N20
21 October at 14:22	112 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 14:19	304 MW	6	Met9
21 October at 14:19	88 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 14:12	152 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 14:08	516 MW	62	N
21 October at 14:04	92 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 14:02	51 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 13:52	102 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 13:49	35 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:42	132 MW	9	Met12
21 October at 13:34	134 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 13:34	56 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 13:32	153 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 13:30	441 MW	66	N21
21 October at 13:22	79 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 13:19	50 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 13:19	233 MW	6	Met9
21 October at 13:12	30 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:02	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:52	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:45	67 MW	14	N20
21 October at 12:32	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:22	29 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:12	41 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:04	41 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 16:52	17 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:02	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:52	24 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:49	33 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 15:42	26 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:34	36 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 15:32	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:02	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 14:32	29 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:25	9 MW	2	N
20 October at 14:22	28 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:19	40 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 14:12	86 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:04	207 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 14:02	179 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 13:52	220 MW	11	Met12
20 October at 13:49	168 MW	3	Met9
20 October at 13:49	617 MW	58	N21
20 October at 13:42	102 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 13:34	244 MW	6	Met9
20 October at 13:32	176 MW	8	Met12
20 October at 13:22	181 MW	11	Met12
20 October at 13:19	212 MW	6	Met9
20 October at 13:12	183 MW	10	Met12
20 October at 13:06	422 MW	58	N20
20 October at 13:04	187 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 13:02	103 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 12:49	36 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:45	140 MW	21	N
20 October at 12:42	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 12:34	44 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 12:32	90 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 12:22	229 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 12:19	113 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:12	61 MW	3	Met12
19 October at 15:59	116 MW	7	Aqua
19 October at 14:08	337 MW	49	N21
19 October at 13:23	470 MW	61	N20
19 October at 13:04	601 MW	45	N
19 October at 12:28	315 MW	20	N21
18 October at 15:23	179 MW	6	Aqua
18 October at 13:45	318 MW	55	N20
18 October at 13:23	297 MW	46	N
18 October at 12:45	77 MW	16	N21
17 October at 14:02	292 MW	43	N20
17 October at 13:42	320 MW	52	N
17 October at 13:06	482 MW	27	N21
16 October at 15:44	140 MW	11	Aqua
16 October at 14:19	95 MW	18	N20
16 October at 14:02	287 MW	49	N
16 October at 13:23	549 MW	58	N21
16 October at 12:41	162 MW	21	N20
15 October at 14:19	105 MW	24	N
15 October at 13:45	721 MW	75	N21
15 October at 13:00	785 MW	64	N20
15 October at 12:41	165 MW	23	N
14 October at 14:02	701 MW	96	N21
14 October at 13:17	765 MW	98	N20
14 October at 12:58	357 MW	58	N
13 October at 15:29	115 MW	12	Aqua
13 October at 14:19	65 MW	6	N21
13 October at 13:38	686 MW	103	N20
12 October at 13:00	97 MW	15	N21
11 October at 15:53	22 MW	4	Aqua
11 October at 14:14	129 MW	17	N20
11 October at 13:55	349 MW	33	N
11 October at 13:17	159 MW	23	N21
11 October at 12:34	29 MW	4	N20
10 October at 15:14	76 MW	4	Aqua
10 October at 14:14	191 MW	34	N
10 October at 13:38	326 MW	43	N21
10 October at 12:51	159 MW	28	N20
9 October at 13:55	56 MW	13	N21
9 October at 13:13	36 MW	7	N20
9 October at 12:51	11 MW	2	N
8 October at 15:36	26 MW	4	Aqua
8 October at 13:30	23 MW	8	N20
8 October at 13:10	16 MW	3	N
7 October at 13:49	12 MW	3	N20
7 October at 13:30	30 MW	10	N

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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