AI is watching for wildfire across the drought-stricken West

California’s firefighting agency, Cal Fire, relies on an AI-driven camera network called Alert California to detect wildfires before they spread. The system, with over 1,200 cameras across the state, detected 915 fires in 2025 before public reports, giving firefighters critical early warnings. Phillip SeLegue, Cal Fire’s staff chief of intelligence, called early detection a key advantage in a region where fires grow faster due to drought. Private companies are expanding AI fire monitoring beyond California. Pano AI, based in San Francisco, operates cameras on cell towers and mountaintops, covering 50 million acres across 17 U.S. states and parts of Australia and Canada. CEO Sonia Kastner noted that wildfire risks are spreading eastward, increasing demand for the technology. Arizona Public Service plans to install 71 AI cameras by summer to help decide when to cut power lines during fires. In Colorado, Douglas County’s emergency team used Pano AI cameras to spot the Bear Creek Fire in rugged terrain near Denver, where human observers couldn’t see it. Mike Alexander, the county’s emergency manager, said early detection was crucial in containing the blaze. Despite advancements, AI systems face challenges. Dust can be mistaken for smoke, and false alarms require human review to avoid disrupting active firefighting efforts. Arizona State University’s Hannah Kerner warned that AI cannot address underlying issues like federal underfunding of forest management, which continues to worsen under the Trump administration. The technology, however, remains a vital tool. Kastner emphasized that AI improves with each image analyzed, reducing errors over time. For now, early detection systems like Alert California and Pano AI provide firefighters with critical minutes to respond before fires escalate.