- AI cameras are now monitoring wildfire-prone areas in southwestern Utah.
- Four high-tech AI camera stations can detect smoke instantly in this pilot project.
- The cameras have a 90% wildfire catch rate and can distinguish smoke from fog.
SALT LAKE CITY — Artificial intelligence is now helping keep watch over wildfire‑prone areas in southwestern Utah.
Four new high‑tech AI camera stations have been installed as part of a pilot project aimed at detecting smoke almost instantly — crucial seconds that can make all the difference when a wildfire breaks out.
Every major wildfire begins with just a small plume of smoke. But when that smoke rises in remote areas with no one around to see it, a small fire can quickly grow out of control.
"We're operating on the old wildfire credo that minutes matter," said Peter Ambler, vice president of government affairs with Pano AI, the maker of the cameras.
The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands has launched a pilot program using these AI‑powered fire cameras.
These new 360‑degree cameras are equipped with technology designed to alert fire agencies the moment smoke appears.
Up until now, the state has largely relied on human eyes for early detection.
"We have over a 90% catch rate when it comes to catching wildfires. That means we catch those fires at 10 acres or less," said Karl Hunt, with the Division of Forestry. "The sooner we catch a wildfire, the sooner we get it put out."
Pano AI, a company based in San Francisco, has installed four of the cameras in southwestern Utah. They continuously scan the landscape day and night.
The company says the cameras have already caught more than 100 wildfires in early stages across the western United States and that they are currently in more than 600 agencies across 16 states.
"We're ever vigilant, 24/7," said Ambler.
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AI system could help spot Utah wildfires early
Weber County is trying out an AI-driven camera system that promises to catch wildfires early, helping first responders get to the scene faster.He said the system can distinguish smoke from fog, inversions, and dust, reducing false alarms and giving firefighters precise information as soon as a potential fire starts.
"With that situational awareness and speed, you get there when it's smaller, and you get there with more information that's going to help you stay safer," he said.
So far, the pilot project appears to be performing well.
"(Fire crews) give positive feedback," Hunt said. "They say that they're really powerful cameras. They get notified even on prescribed burns."
Pano AI currently operates nine cameras in Utah, five of them through a partnership with Rocky Mountain Power. If this new four‑camera pilot project proves successful, even more units may begin appearing across the state.
