AI Startups Enhance Wildfire Prevention with Early Detection and Controlled Burns

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a crucial role in wildfire prevention and management, helping to detect and mitigate fires earlier and more effectively. The Los Angeles area has experienced devastating wildfires this year, claiming over 16,000 structures and resulting in damages estimated as high as $164 billion, potentially marking one of the worst financial natural disasters in U.S. history, according to Bloomberg. To combat these fires, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service have been shifting resources toward controlled burns, which aim to reduce overgrowth and potential fuel for wildfires. Two prominent AI startups, Pano AI and Green Grid Systems, are leading the charge in this effort by providing innovative solutions for early detection and monitoring of both wildfires and controlled burns. Sonia Kastner, CEO and founder of Pano AI, headquartered in San Francisco, likens their approach to cancer treatment. "You can do early screening, catch it when it's in phase one, and hit it with aggressive treatment so it doesn’t progress," she explained. Pano AI’s service leverages human-in-the-loop AI for fire detection and alerts, enabling fire departments to respond more quickly and prevent small fires from escalating into large, uncontrollable blazes. Pano’s system, called Pano Station, consists of two ultra-high-definition cameras mounted on mountain tops, rotating 360 degrees every minute to cover a 10-mile radius in all directions. These cameras transmit images to the cloud every minute, where AI models running on NVIDIA GPUs analyze the visuals for signs of smoke. Pano has both daytime and nighttime models, including a near-infrared model for detecting smoke in low-light conditions, and a geostationary satellite model for additional coverage. The AI system alerts human operators, who verify the detections using digital zoom and time-lapse imagery, ensuring rapid and accurate response. Green Grid Systems, based in San Ramon, California, focuses on AI for utility companies and recently demonstrated the effectiveness of their system in September when they alerted a Big Bear resort about a fire starting in the San Bernardino National Forest. Thanks to early warning, the resort was able to prepare and implement necessary suppression measures, preventing the fire from reaching their property. Green Grid’s CEO, Chinmoy Saha, emphasized the importance of early detection in containing fires. He noted that during discussions with a customer affected by the catastrophic Eaton fire, which claimed 17 lives and over 9,000 buildings, they discussed the potential benefits of AI-powered early warning systems. "If we had our system there, this fire could have been mitigated," Saha stated. CAL FIRE, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, has also embraced AI for monitoring and managing wildfires. They are collaborating with Alert California and UC San Diego to create a network of cameras owned by various organizations, including utilities and federal agencies. This network is equipped with an AI program that continuously scans for new fire starts, updating every two minutes. If a new start is detected, the AI program sends an alert to the relevant emergency command center, where human verification is required to confirm the threat. David Acuna, a battalion chief at CAL FIRE in Clovis, California, highlighted the significance of early detection, especially in remote areas where it can take hours for a fire to be reported. "AI helps us get to the scene when the fire is still manageable," Acuna said. Controlled burns are another essential tool in wildfire prevention, and AI is enhancing their effectiveness. "We didn’t do a good job in California for the past 30 or 40 years," admitted Saha. To address this, Green Grid has deployed trailer-mounted AI camera sensors to monitor fire sites and ensure controlled burns stay within designated areas. Pano AI can similarly assist by monitoring controlled burn zones with its AI-driven cameras, ensuring that smoke does not spread beyond permitted areas and maintaining safety. Industry insiders, like Kastner and Saha, believe that the integration of AI into wildfire management will revolutionize how fires are monitored and contained. They argue that AI can significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic fires by enabling quicker responses and more precise monitoring. Pano AI and Green Grid Systems are both committed to expanding their services, with Pano already positioned to monitor critical areas around the recent Los Angeles fires and Green Grid actively engaging with utility companies to deploy their systems widely. In summary, the combination of AI-driven early detection and monitoring systems, as well as enhanced controlled burn practices, is offering new hope in the battle against wildfires. These technologies, powered by advanced computing capabilities, are transforming how fire departments operate, potentially saving countless lives and billions of dollars in property damage. The proactive approach of companies like Pano AI and Green Grid Systems is not only demonstrating the effectiveness of AI but also setting a new standard for disaster mitigation and community safety. The rapid response times and accurate detection methods provided by AI are expected to play a pivotal role in future fire prevention efforts, making natural disasters more manageable and less destructive.