As crews try to get a handle on multiple wildfires raging across Southern California, tech companies are offering ways to help.
Companies based in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley are using artificial intelligence and drones to detect flare-ups and to try to reach new fires as quickly as possible.
Drones, capable of getting closer to the flames than humans would be able to safely, can help map the firefight along with satellites, dubbed “eyes in the sky” by NASA.
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“Especially with satellites that measure the whole planet and can observe the whole planet over long periods of time,” NASA Ames research scientist Laura Iraci said. “Some of the folks here at AMES are using the sub-orbital assets to study more closely and with better spatial resolution the fires.”
The tech is often pointed toward flames by companies like Los Angeles-based PriviNet, which is fighting fires with AI-powered hardware and software that can detect smoke from massive distances and determine whether it’s a threat.
“As soon as we’ve identified with a sensor that there’s something going on, there’s heat, it can take an image and send that image confirmation right away to the fire department,” PriviNet CEO Brad Listermann said.
All of this tech is in use both in Southern California and in the Bay Area.
“I’ll get an email that will tell me that an anomaly has been detected,” Cal Fire Capt. Jameson Potter said. “I’ll click on that email. It’ll give me an approximate location.”

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Tech companies in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley are leveraging artificial intelligence, drones, and satellites to combat wildfires in Southern California. Drones can approach flames safely and help map fire locations, while AI-powered systems detect smoke and alert fire departments. NASA uses satellites and sub-orbital assets for detailed fire observation.

High-Tech Tools Changing the Game in Southern California Wildfires