Fire near Tamatave (MG)

20.08°S, 47.92°E · first detected on 16 October at 12:19

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 16 October at 12:19 to 21 October at 12:45, that is 5 days, through 21 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,309 ha.

Detected extent: 1,309 ha
Cumulative power: 261 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 37 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 21
Estimated emissions: 7.7 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 16 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).

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 11:22	33 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:18	52 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 11:02	37 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 19:04	92 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 19:04	201 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 19:02	79 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:32	10 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:22	20 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:19	145 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 16:19	141 MW	5	Met9
21 October at 16:12	58 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:04	486 MW	11	Met9
21 October at 16:04	152 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 16:02	194 MW	9	Met12
21 October at 15:52	81 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:49	404 MW	13	Met9
21 October at 15:42	251 MW	9	Met12
21 October at 15:34	118 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:34	442 MW	14	Met9
21 October at 15:32	140 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:19	225 MW	8	Met9
21 October at 15:12	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:04	747 MW	17	Met9
21 October at 15:02	172 MW	8	Met12
21 October at 14:52	117 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 14:49	625 MW	11	Met9
21 October at 14:42	118 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 14:34	24 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 14:32	175 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 14:22	25 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 14:12	43 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:04	171 MW	5	Met9
21 October at 14:02	99 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 13:52	78 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 13:49	304 MW	6	Met9
21 October at 13:42	173 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 13:32	23 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:22	36 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:02	19 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:52	60 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:45	425 MW	50	N20
21 October at 12:42	12 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:32	39 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:26	503 MW	46	N
21 October at 12:12	15 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 12:02	76 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 11:52	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:49	704 MW	66	N21
21 October at 11:42	30 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:33	87 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 11:32	119 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 11:18	703 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 11:12	28 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 11:03	364 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 11:02	41 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:48	75 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 10:32	20 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:22	59 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 00:16	3 MW	1	N20
20 October at 23:55	6 MW	1	N
20 October at 23:21	7 MW	3	N21
20 October at 19:34	49 MW	3	Terra
20 October at 18:52	46 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 17:22	27 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 17:02	12 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:52	51 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:42	69 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:32	65 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 16:22	45 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:59	224 MW	4	Aqua
20 October at 14:52	92 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:32	24 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 13:04	305 MW	22	N20
20 October at 13:02	26 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 12:52	23 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 12:45	362 MW	36	N
20 October at 12:42	50 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:09	41 MW	7	N21
19 October at 23:38	2 MW	2	N21
19 October at 18:42	12 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 18:34	23 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 17:49	20 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 17:42	75 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 17:34	120 MW	5	Met9
19 October at 17:32	17 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 17:19	41 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 17:12	10 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 17:04	86 MW	4	Met9
19 October at 17:02	47 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 16:52	50 MW	3	Met12
19 October at 16:49	61 MW	3	Met9
19 October at 16:34	107 MW	5	Met9
19 October at 16:34	40 MW	1	Met10
19 October at 16:32	175 MW	12	Met12
19 October at 16:22	103 MW	7	Met12
19 October at 16:19	159 MW	8	Met9
19 October at 16:12	66 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 16:04	34 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 16:02	51 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 15:52	77 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 15:49	113 MW	6	Met9
19 October at 15:49	34 MW	1	Met10
19 October at 15:42	76 MW	5	Met12
19 October at 15:34	130 MW	7	Met9
19 October at 15:32	55 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 15:22	108 MW	6	Met12
19 October at 15:19	494 MW	17	Met9
19 October at 15:12	268 MW	13	Met12
19 October at 15:04	219 MW	11	Met9
19 October at 15:02	195 MW	8	Met12
19 October at 14:52	111 MW	4	Met12
19 October at 14:49	204 MW	7	Met9
19 October at 14:42	118 MW	7	Met12
19 October at 14:34	302 MW	11	Met9
19 October at 14:32	218 MW	8	Met12
19 October at 14:22	269 MW	12	Met12
19 October at 14:21	709 MW	30	Aqua
19 October at 14:19	249 MW	6	Met9
19 October at 14:12	79 MW	6	Met12
19 October at 14:04	25 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 14:02	210 MW	10	Met12
19 October at 13:52	209 MW	10	Met12
19 October at 13:49	50 MW	2	Met9
19 October at 13:42	200 MW	10	Met12
19 October at 13:34	71 MW	2	Met9
19 October at 13:32	144 MW	7	Met12
19 October at 13:23	282 MW	29	N20
19 October at 13:22	162 MW	9	Met12
19 October at 13:19	133 MW	4	Met9
19 October at 13:18	26 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 13:12	110 MW	7	Met12
19 October at 13:04	85 MW	2	Met9
19 October at 13:04	274 MW	33	N
19 October at 13:02	118 MW	7	Met12
19 October at 12:52	37 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 12:49	30 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 12:48	29 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 12:42	39 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 12:33	24 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 12:32	22 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 12:28	174 MW	32	N21
19 October at 12:22	28 MW	2	Met12
19 October at 12:02	23 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 11:48	25 MW	1	Met9
19 October at 11:43	100 MW	9	N20
19 October at 11:42	16 MW	1	Met12
19 October at 08:22	24 MW	1	Met12
18 October at 13:21	102 MW	9	N
18 October at 12:45	57 MW	2	N21
17 October at 13:04	20 MW	5	N21
17 October at 12:21	47 MW	5	N20
17 October at 12:02	49 MW	7	N
16 October at 13:23	23 MW	2	N21
16 October at 12:41	179 MW	20	N20
16 October at 12:19	155 MW	13	N
16 October at 11:43	55 MW	5	N21
15 October at 12:58	62 MW	9	N20
15 October at 12:41	38 MW	7	N
15 October at 12:02	30 MW	4	N21

8 other fires near Tamatave (MG)

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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