Between 28 August and 26 September 2026, night-time infrared sensors on the NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 satellites recorded 359 hot-night detections in a known oil and gas flare field near 30.48N, 50.48E. These grouped into 8 clusters that each burned at 5 MW or more on at least 5 of 30 nights. The most persistent burned on 25 nights, with a peak reading of 33.44 MW at that spot; the strongest single reading anywhere in the field was 57.63 MW. All 8 clusters sit on sites listed in the 2024 VIIRS Nightfire annual flare summary, the largest of which reported 0.233 billion cubic metres and lies 0.47 km away.
This is a steady industrial heat signature, not a wildfire or a new event. Thermal sensors cannot separate a gas flare from a refinery furnace or kiln; persistence plus the flare-site match is what argues for flaring. Heat is also not volume — the sensor saturates on the biggest flares, and unlit venting is invisible entirely.
We would revise if the clusters fall outside registered flare infrastructure, if methane sensors show no matching plumes, or if a cloudy month explains gaps in the nightly record.
Written by AI, then checked by a separate reviewer before publication. Every claim points at the evidence below.