Fire near Unité (SS)

9.61°N, 29.95°E · first detected on 20 October at 12:53

What the satellites measured

This fire was tracked from 20 October at 12:53 to 23 October at 01:56, that is 3 days, through 87 satellite detections. The detected extent reaches 1,196 ha.

Detected extent: 1,196 ha
Cumulative power: 2,436 MW
Peak power, one pixel: 162 MW
VIIRS and MODIS detections: 87
Estimated emissions: 3.1 kt of carbon; Carbon burnt in the 0.1 degree cells (about 10 km) around the fire, from 20 October 2026 to 22 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 5 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 10:15	269 MW	7	Met12
23 October at 10:07	543 MW	3	Met9
23 October at 10:05	447 MW	8	Met12
23 October at 09:55	590 MW	10	Met12
23 October at 09:52	104 MW	1	Met10
23 October at 09:52	639 MW	4	Met9
23 October at 09:45	538 MW	8	Met12
23 October at 09:37	373 MW	3	Met9
23 October at 09:37	314 MW	2	Met10
23 October at 09:35	275 MW	7	Met12
23 October at 09:25	339 MW	7	Met12
23 October at 01:56	9 MW	2	N21
23 October at 01:12	2 MW	2	N20
22 October at 18:25	15 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 18:08	21 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 18:07	27 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:55	11 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:53	19 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:52	28 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:45	22 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 17:38	35 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 17:35	10 MW	1	Met12
22 October at 17:23	19 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:22	23 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 17:15	51 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 17:08	22 MW	1	Met9
22 October at 17:05	33 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:55	32 MW	2	Met12
22 October at 16:53	54 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 16:45	62 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 16:37	94 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 16:35	74 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 16:25	66 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:22	162 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 16:15	110 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 16:07	212 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 16:05	133 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:55	101 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:52	241 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:45	134 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 15:37	301 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:37	36 MW	1	Met10
22 October at 15:35	153 MW	3	Met12
22 October at 15:25	250 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 15:22	408 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 15:15	259 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 15:07	170 MW	2	Met9
22 October at 15:05	290 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:55	333 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 14:52	487 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:45	387 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 14:37	643 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:35	519 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 14:25	1,219 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 14:22	778 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:17	279 MW	7	N20
22 October at 14:15	636 MW	9	Met12
22 October at 14:07	895 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 14:05	752 MW	10	Met12
22 October at 13:57	582 MW	10	N
22 October at 13:55	660 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 13:45	434 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 13:37	467 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 13:25	794 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 13:22	767 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 13:19	730 MW	19	N21
22 October at 13:15	621 MW	8	Met12
22 October at 13:07	590 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 13:05	519 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 12:55	466 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 12:52	637 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:45	565 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 12:37	535 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:36	335 MW	9	N20
22 October at 12:35	355 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 12:25	248 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 12:22	369 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 12:15	308 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 12:07	312 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 12:05	225 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 11:55	451 MW	7	Met12
22 October at 11:52	496 MW	4	Met9
22 October at 11:45	281 MW	6	Met12
22 October at 11:37	229 MW	3	Met9
22 October at 11:35	224 MW	4	Met12
22 October at 11:25	137 MW	5	Met12
22 October at 01:29	3 MW	2	N20
22 October at 01:09	1 MW	3	N
21 October at 20:25	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 20:21	23 MW	2	Terra
21 October at 19:45	11 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 19:35	31 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 19:25	40 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 19:23	25 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 19:15	23 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 19:08	78 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 19:07	71 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 19:05	76 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 18:55	78 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 18:52	133 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 18:45	84 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 18:38	278 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 18:37	379 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 18:35	220 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 18:25	321 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 18:23	606 MW	7	Met9
21 October at 18:22	584 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 18:15	287 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 18:08	199 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 18:07	237 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 18:05	183 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 17:55	106 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 17:53	113 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 17:52	195 MW	4	Met10
21 October at 17:45	44 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 17:35	10 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 17:25	37 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 17:15	25 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 17:05	18 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:55	29 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:45	60 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:35	19 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 16:25	61 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 16:15	40 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 16:05	31 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:55	30 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 15:46	140 MW	5	Aqua
21 October at 15:45	103 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:35	66 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 15:25	45 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 15:15	135 MW	4	Met12
21 October at 15:07	43 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 15:07	46 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 15:05	84 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 14:35	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 14:25	26 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 14:17	32 MW	5	N
21 October at 14:15	23 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:52	30 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 13:38	81 MW	9	N21
21 October at 13:35	40 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 13:25	26 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:15	25 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 13:05	43 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 12:56	42 MW	5	N20
21 October at 12:45	18 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:55	14 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:45	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 11:05	26 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:55	92 MW	2	Met12
21 October at 10:52	50 MW	1	Met9
21 October at 10:45	34 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 10:37	77 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:37	111 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 10:35	111 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 10:25	383 MW	7	Met12
21 October at 10:22	370 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 10:22	297 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 10:15	289 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 10:07	223 MW	3	Met9
21 October at 10:07	87 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 10:05	126 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 09:55	141 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 09:52	178 MW	2	Met9
21 October at 09:52	207 MW	3	Met10
21 October at 09:45	261 MW	6	Met12
21 October at 09:37	175 MW	2	Met10
21 October at 09:37	350 MW	4	Met9
21 October at 09:35	222 MW	5	Met12
21 October at 09:25	85 MW	3	Met12
21 October at 09:22	30 MW	1	Met10
21 October at 09:05	13 MW	1	Met12
21 October at 08:25	42 MW	3	Met12
20 October at 17:45	18 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:25	21 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 15:05	35 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:25	109 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 14:15	76 MW	2	Met12
20 October at 13:57	49 MW	4	N21
20 October at 13:45	36 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 13:15	123 MW	2	N20
20 October at 13:05	26 MW	1	Met12
20 October at 12:53	4 MW	1	N

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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