Fire near Unité (SS)

9.18°N, 29.48°E · first detected on 23 September at 13:00

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 23 September at 13:00 to 22 October at 14:17, that is 29 days, through 602 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 9,904 ha.

Detected extent: 9,904 ha
Cumulative power: 4,173 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 48 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 602
Estimated emissions: 4.1 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 5 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 30 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 17:25	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:25	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 16:15	22 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:05	40 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:55	49 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:52	25 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 15:45	86 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:37	138 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:35	40 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 15:15	14 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 15:05	13 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 14:45	26 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:35	75 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 14:25	27 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 14:17	210 MW	18	N20
22 October at 14:15	174 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:56	529 MW	71	N
22 October at 13:19	580 MW	76	N21
22 October at 13:05	120 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 12:55	58 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 12:45	54 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 12:36	107 MW	13	N20
22 October at 12:22	29 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 12:15	36 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 12:07	34 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 11:45	36 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 11:05	36 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 15:44	5 MW	1	Aqua
21 October at 14:17	12 MW	2	N
21 October at 13:38	41 MW	5	N21
21 October at 12:56	31 MW	5	N20
21 October at 01:50	2 MW	1	N20
21 October at 01:29	6 MW	2	N
21 October at 00:52	1 MW	1	N21
20 October at 17:45	11 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:35	28 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:25	13 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 16:15	21 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 16:07	54 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 16:05	58 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 15:55	49 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 15:52	60 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:52	58 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:45	29 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 15:37	56 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:37	32 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 15:35	37 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 15:25	41 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 15:22	83 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 15:22	79 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:07	126 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 15:07	77 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 15:05	51 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 14:55	82 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 14:52	217 MW	5	Met9
20 October at 14:52	97 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 14:45	65 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 14:37	337 MW	7	Met9
20 October at 14:37	36 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:35	54 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:25	123 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 14:22	269 MW	6	Met9
20 October at 14:15	63 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:07	100 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 14:07	85 MW	1	Met10
20 October at 14:05	39 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:57	203 MW	26	N21
20 October at 13:55	73 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:52	57 MW	1	Met9
20 October at 13:45	67 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 13:37	206 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 13:35	71 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 13:25	87 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 13:22	283 MW	5	Met9
20 October at 13:15	60 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:15	296 MW	40	N20
20 October at 13:07	339 MW	5	Met9
20 October at 13:05	64 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:55	66 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 12:53	115 MW	18	N
20 October at 12:52	297 MW	5	Met9
20 October at 12:45	53 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:37	217 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 12:35	26 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 12:25	45 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:22	108 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:15	64 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 12:07	127 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 12:05	66 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 11:55	96 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 11:52	230 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 11:45	244 MW	6	Met12
20 October at 11:37	379 MW	4	Met9
20 October at 11:35	153 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 11:25	77 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 11:22	366 MW	5	Met9
20 October at 11:15	111 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 11:07	412 MW	5	Met9
20 October at 11:05	217 MW	7	Met12
20 October at 10:55	450 MW	11	Met12
20 October at 10:52	122 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 10:52	207 MW	4	Met10
20 October at 10:45	63 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 10:37	155 MW	3	Met10
20 October at 10:37	207 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 10:35	133 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 10:25	45 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 10:22	141 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 10:22	116 MW	3	Met10
20 October at 10:15	91 MW	4	Met12
20 October at 10:07	142 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 10:07	97 MW	2	Met10
20 October at 10:05	70 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 09:55	131 MW	5	Met12
20 October at 09:52	170 MW	3	Met10
20 October at 09:52	128 MW	2	Met9
20 October at 09:45	39 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 01:48	1 MW	1	N
19 October at 16:10	27 MW	1	Aqua
19 October at 13:32	269 MW	33	N20
19 October at 13:13	141 MW	24	N
19 October at 12:36	59 MW	7	N21
18 October at 13:51	53 MW	8	N20
18 October at 13:32	52 MW	11	N
18 October at 12:54	23 MW	2	N21
17 October at 13:49	45 MW	7	N
17 October at 13:13	36 MW	8	N21
16 October at 12:47	17 MW	3	N20
16 October at 01:44	11 MW	5	N20
15 October at 14:27	8 MW	1	N
15 October at 13:51	263 MW	21	N21
15 October at 13:08	348 MW	32	N20
15 October at 12:47	151 MW	17	N
15 October at 08:57	24 MW	2	Terra
14 October at 14:10	15 MW	2	N21
14 October at 13:25	75 MW	17	N20
14 October at 13:06	84 MW	10	N
14 October at 12:30	37 MW	2	N21
13 October at 15:38	78 MW	9	Aqua
13 October at 13:47	122 MW	19	N20
11 October at 14:04	4 MW	1	N
11 October at 13:25	45 MW	11	N21
10 October at 13:47	8 MW	1	N21
10 October at 13:02	65 MW	5	N20
10 October at 12:43	50 MW	5	N
9 October at 14:04	10 MW	2	N21
9 October at 13:19	27 MW	5	N20
8 October at 13:38	25 MW	7	N20
8 October at 13:19	14 MW	3	N
7 October at 13:57	8 MW	1	N20
7 October at 13:38	27 MW	6	N
7 October at 13:02	15 MW	2	N21
6 October at 02:13	4 MW	2	N21
6 October at 01:29	2 MW	1	N20
5 October at 15:29	201 MW	12	Aqua
5 October at 14:17	268 MW	21	N
5 October at 13:38	414 MW	25	N21
5 October at 12:53	389 MW	22	N20
5 October at 08:59	6 MW	1	Terra
4 October at 13:57	246 MW	33	N21
4 October at 13:15	225 MW	30	N20
4 October at 12:53	110 MW	17	N
4 October at 01:12	1 MW	1	N21
3 October at 15:50	67 MW	3	Aqua
3 October at 14:17	49 MW	2	N21
3 October at 13:32	173 MW	30	N20
3 October at 13:12	133 MW	15	N
2 October at 13:51	32 MW	6	N20
2 October at 13:32	40 MW	10	N
2 October at 12:56	44 MW	6	N21
29 September at 14:27	7 MW	1	N
29 September at 13:51	127 MW	14	N21
29 September at 13:08	143 MW	19	N20
29 September at 12:47	30 MW	5	N
28 September at 02:20	1 MW	1	N20
28 September at 01:24	2 MW	1	N21
26 September at 14:04	107 MW	7	N20
26 September at 13:45	57 MW	10	N
26 September at 13:08	43 MW	4	N21
25 September at 15:42	22 MW	1	Aqua

8 other fires near Unité (SS)

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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