By Marilyn Kalfus
The Orange County Register
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — When an artificial intelligence camera spotted a wildfire in a remote canyon in early December, it was the first time the Orange County Fire Authority received an alert from AI about a vegetation fire without getting an emergency call from a person, authorities said.
OCFA announced the discovery in an X post on Friday, Jan. 3.
The University of California San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia camera network’s AI alerted the OCFA of an “anomaly” seen on video footage around 2 a.m. on Dec. 4 . The network has several cameras located in wildfire-prone spots around Southern California.
The anomaly turned out to be a vegetation fire in Black Star Canyon, east of Irvine Lake.
“Unlike traditional emergency calls made through 911, this fire was solely detected by strategically mounted cameras monitoring high-risk areas across the county,” the OCFA post said. “This location is not heavily trafficked at night, which likely contributed to the fact that zero reports of smoke or fire came in from the public.”
After receiving the AI alert, fire crews were able to contain the fire to less than a quarter of an acre, and there were no injuries, evacuations or homes burned.
“While the agency has been utilizing AI in tandem with 911 calls to detect wildfires for some time, this is the first fire that was located exclusively by AI,” the OCFA said.
Without it, the blaze could have spread significantly before anyone noticed it, the agency added.
“This is one example of how we are leveraging emerging technology and strategic partnerships to combat wildfires,” OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said. “With wildfire hazards now a year-round challenge, early detection and collaboration are crucial to protect lives and property.”
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