Business
AI, drones and sensors: How technology could help battle future fires
Maxwell Brodie vividly recalls the destructive wildfire he experienced as a kid growing up in the interior of British Columbia.
One night in 2003, lightning struck a tree at around 4 a.m., sparking a massive blaze that scorched Okanagan Mountain Park. Winds picked up, the skies turned orange and more than 30,000 people evacuated from his hometown. Brodie remembers helping his dad attach a soaker hose to protect their cedar roof from falling ash.
The experience would inspire Brodie nearly two decades later to launch a software startup that gives autonomous helicopters and other aircraft the capability to perceive and suppress wildfires.
“That is just something that, as a child, you don’t forget,” said Brodie, co-founder and chief executive of Alameda-based business Rain. “As we experience these more frequent and severe fires, expanding response capacity to include being able to respond at night in smoky conditions, and in high winds, becomes more important.”
Brodie is among a small but growing cadre of entrepreneurs in California promising new technology — much of it powered by artificial intelligence — that could dramatically change how firefighters prevent and fight wildfires.
Confronting budget shortfalls, fire departments have traditionally been cautious about embracing costly and often experimental firefighting technology that hasn’t been proven in the field. But the magnitude of the unprecedented L.A. fires that destroyed thousands of structures and killed at least 27 people has brought new interest and urgency to finding more effective ways to combat wildfires.
“It’s just a completely different scale…We’re gonna have to come up with new ways to fight [fires],” said Josh Wilkins, a retired San Bernardino County Fire Department fire captain.
In Silicon Valley, major tech companies including Google and AI-giant Nvidia have been investing in research that could help firefighters better detect and track wildfires.
Nvidia announced it teamed up with Lockheed Martin in 2021 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control to create a digital version of a fire that allows firefighters and incident commanders to better understand how a fire spreads and suggest more informed ways to suppress it.
“The 21st century security technologies that we’re developing to respond to security threats are directly applicable to the complex environment of a wildland fire,” said Dan Lordan, senior program manager at Lockheed Martin Artificial Intelligence Center in Connecticut.
AI-enabled decision aids may soon be able to support first responder command decisions but are dependent on the availability of data and how close it is to real time, Lordan said.
Space agency NASA also is working on technology that could make it possible for drones and remotely piloted helicopters to fly at the same time to address wildfires even when there’s low visibility.
Fire departments across the state already use an AI tool, run by UC San Diego, that can detect fires in video footage so they can respond quickly to flames. Known as ALERTCalifornia, the program deploys more than 1,144 cameras and sensor arrays that capture live video around the clock.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection worked with ALERTCalifornia and DigitalPath to develop the AI tool.
“It creates a network that watches over California,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief David Acuña.
There have been some successes. Last month , for example, ALERTCalifornia’s AI system detected a fire in Black Star Canyon and alerted the Orange County Fire Authority at 2 a.m. Firefighters doused the fire and contained it to less than a quarter-acre.
Nonetheless, while ALERTCalifornia has helped save lives, its limitations were also exposed during the L.A. fires, in which powerful winds fueled flames that spread so fast that firefighters couldn’t keep up.
To improve its capabilities, Cal Fire is testing new equipment with BurnBot, a South San Francisco company that operates large vehicles that can do controlled burns with little or no smoke. The state-of-the-art vehicles, called RX, are equipped with propane torches that allow operators to control the length and temperature of flames. They also have water spray nozzles and a heavy roller to extinguish flames.
Wilkins, who advises BurnBot and other wildfire prevention startups, believes the vehicles could have slowed the spread of the L.A. fires if they had been deployed.
“Once we get to wind-driven fires, you’re fighting embers,” Wilkins said. “It’s basically millions and millions of matches flying through the air and one big bush on fire can transmit thousands of embers, and each one of those embers has the potential of igniting anything it lands on.”
Acuña said the agency is still evaluating BurnBot’s vehicles and awaiting data to help determine how or whether they will be used.
One obstacle to the more widespread use of these futuristic firefighting tools, including sensors that can detect smoke and fire, is a dearth of private and public sector funding.
“It’s been a wake-up call to all of us of what we’re up against,” said Sonia Kastner, the co-founder and chief executive of San Francisco-based Pano AI. “We need a radical shift in how we approach firefighting and natural resource management.”
Kastner knows the challenges firsthand. She started Pano AI, which built an AI-powered platform to detect fires and alert emergency responders, after the 2018 Camp fire that left 85 people dead, burned 153,336 acres and caused an estimated $16.5 billion in losses.
Pano AI relies on cameras, placed on high vantage points like cell towers, to scan the surrounding area and relay video images to emergency personnel. They have been used in Ukiah and Rancho Palos Verdes in California and in other states.
The Department of Homeland Security operates a technology center within its Washington-based Science and Technology Directorate that has supported the development of sensors to detect fire and toxic chemicals.
S&T and N5 Sensors conducted a controlled burn in Stafford, Va., ahead of the 2023 wildfire season. Data collected were used to enhance the sensors and their detection capabilities.
(N5 Sensors)
About 450 so-called Alpha and Beta sensors, which can cost a few thousand dollars each, have been deployed to areas including Orange County, Bay Area cities and have helped to detect fires in Hawaii, Colorado and Oakland, Calif.
To support the initiative, Homeland Security received $4 million in funding over four years, but the agency hasn’t been able to secure more federal money, said Jeff Booth, director of the Sensors and Platforms Technology Center for the department’s Science and Technology Directorate.
“I have no further federal funding to take this a step further,” Booth said. “Maybe with the new administration, they could see the value of deploying this even further.”
Teams prepare for a SuperVolo XL flight at the Monterey Bay Academy Airport near Watsonville, Calif.
(Don Richey / NASA Ames)
For startups like Rain, getting buy-in from investors and fire departments is key.
Founded in 2019, Rain operates out of an old traffic control tower in the former Naval Air Station Alameda. The company, which has 15 employees, raised $9.7 million in seed financing led by venture capital firm DBL Partners.
Rain has worked with Lockheed Martin company Sikorsky and with fire officials in Orange County in the hopes of bringing its technology into operational use.
“When there’s that partnership between the innovators in the fire community and technologists, that’s what opens up entirely new tools, technologies and markets,” chief executive Brodie said.
The luxury shopping center in Pacific Palisades will reopen next month after more than $100 million in renovations forced by the January 2025 wildfire that devastated the Los Angeles neighborhood.
Palisades Village will reopen Aug. 15, owner Rick Caruso announced Wednesday. The outdoor center survived the blaze that destroyed homes and other businesses but needed refurbishment to eliminate contaminants that the fire could have spread.
Crews are putting finishing touches on mall buildings after tearing them down to the studs, treating the wood and rebuilding the walls, Caruso said.
“Everybody’s working, and stores are moving their products in,” he said. “It’s a really cool feeling that people have really locked arms and are working together.”
An electrician installs lighting for a restaurant at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Pacific Palisades resident Allison Polhill, who is rebuilding the home of 30 years that her family lost in the blaze, said she is “thrilled” at the prospect of returning to the mall she used to frequent. Its comeback is a boost for the community, she said.
“Every single step that we make to reopen our commercial corridors is going to bring more people back into the Palisades,” said Polhill, who expects to move back into her home at the end of August.
A total of 6,822 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, including more than 5,500 residences and 100 commercial businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Caruso previously attributed the mall’s survival to the hard work of private firefighters and the fire-resistant materials used in the mall’s construction.
The $200-million shopping and dining center opened in 2018 with a movie theater and a roster of upmarket tenants, including Erewhon, which may be the only grocer in the heart of the fire-ravaged neighborhood when it opens.
Caruso’s company was able to fill the mall with tenants despite the long shutdown.
Palisades Village is 99% leased, with the majority of tenants returning, said Jackie Levy, chief financial and revenue officer. Nearly one-third of the shops and restaurants are new to the property.
A firefighter carries a hose back to his rig while walking through a destroyed home from the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Pacific Palisades-based fashion designer Elyse Walker said she would reopen her eponymous store in Palisades Village after losing her 25-year flagship location on Antioch Street to the inferno.
Other neighborhood shops destroyed in the fire that are reopening at the mall include K Bakery and Loomey’s Toys, which caters to children up to age 12 and used to be across the street from Palisades Elementary Charter School.
“It’s been a journey and I’m excited because I wasn’t sure that there was going to be a place to come back to,” said toy store owner Amanda Rastegar. “Hopefully we can bring some of that magic back.”
Rastegar’s home in the Palisades survived but was damaged by the fire. The family returned about eight weeks ago. Her last memory of the fire was a burning supermarket.
“I just couldn’t wrap my brain around what was happening,” she said. “By the time I left, Gelson’s was on fire.”
Among the returning tenants is Angelini Ristorante & Bar. Well-known Los Angeles chef Gino Angelini said he will be in the kitchen next month for a return of the Italian restaurant.
“We won’t do a big celebrity open,” he said. “We want to have a very soft opening and see our customers come back.”
Construction takes place at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
An elaborate celebration would not feel “correct for me,” Angelini said, because the devastation has been “very sad” for so many.
Other new tenants include local chef Nancy Silverton, who has agreed to move in with a new Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto. Women’s activewear retailer LESET will open its first West Coast location.
Caruso said he is optimistic that customers will return to the center, even though many Pacific Palisades residents are still dispersed. One tracking system estimated that about 30% of the Village’s customer base was impacted by the fire, he said.
“That means 70% did not get impacted, so there’s a lot of customers still left out there,” Caruso said. Historically, the center drew customers from as far away as Beverly Hills and Calabasas, as well as Malibu, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
He also hopes many will be inspired to visit the revived mall.
“I believe in the goodness of people and I believe that people are going to want to support the Palisades,” he said. “They’re going to want to be there and support the businesses that have had the courage and the heart to reopen.”
Walmart is rapidly expanding its network of electric vehicle chargers designed for customers to use while they shop.
The network could help fill gaps in EV infrastructure in states with greater need for chargers. Walmart, which has more than 5,000 locations in the U.S. and hundreds in California, says more than 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores.
The chargers also offer an incentive for customers to choose Walmart — Walmart Plus members will receive a 10% discount off an average price of $0.46 per kilowatt-hour of energy at the company’s chargers.
Walmart chargers are already available at more than 75 locations in 17 states, with Texas boasting the most charging stations, followed by Florida and Arizona.
Matthew Nelson, Walmart’s director of energy policy, said last week on LinkedIn that the network will soon reach 29 states, including California.
“We are delivering on the promise of affordable, reliable and convenient charging,” Nelson said in his post.
According to Walmart’s website, six charging stations are coming to California soon, though the company did not offer a specific timeline.
The chargers will be installed at stores in Antelope, Brea, Fresno, Stockton, Suisun City and Vallejo.
Most charging sites in California will include eight to 16 fast-charging stalls, said Walmart spokesperson Kelsey Bohl.
The company first announced plans in April 2023 to install its own EV chargers at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, with a goal of installing thousands of chargers by 2030. Partnering with ABB E-Mobility and Alpitronic, it added 25 new charging sites this past May and six more in June.
“Walmart is building a leading retail-integrated EV fast-charging network, focused on delivering an affordable, reliable and convenient charging experience where customers already shop,” Bohl said in an emailed statement. “Customers can charge while they shop, access stations through the Walmart app they already use, and benefit from affordable pricing.”
The charging stations already available include 612 individual charging stalls using 400-kilowatt chargers. Each stall has a dual charging cord with both Combined Charging System and North American Charging Standard connectors. The standard connectors, designed by Tesla, are smaller and lighter than the combined systems.
The primary way to pay for the chargers is through the Walmart app, but the company is also experimenting with built-in credit card readers to allow those without the app to use the stations.
Customers can check charger availability on the Walmart app. The company said the chargers will be available 24 hours a day.
Robotaxis could be turning into robocops.
A self-driving Waymo reported two teens to San Mateo, Calif., police on Monday after they were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of the vehicle.
According to a social media post from the San Mateo Police Department, officers detained two 15-year-olds after the Waymo they were riding in contacted the department and stopped in a parking lot until law enforcement arrived.
“Parents do you know where your teens are?” the San Mateo Police Department wrote on Facebook following the incident. “Waymo does!”
Officers removed both teens from the vehicle and determined they were using toy guns to shoot Orbeez out the windows. Orbeez are small, water-absorbing beads sold at toy stores.
“Toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye,” the Police Department said. “The simple handling of them can cause fear in [passersby].” “
A video posted on Facebook shows at least five officers and a police dog responding to the scene and approaching the Waymo with their weapons raised.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Waymo vehicles have internal cameras and microphones that may be used in an emergency or to “promote safety and security,” according to Waymo’s online support page.
The cameras are also used to ensure the vehicles are clean and to help find lost items, according to the support page.
The company said it does not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify individuals.
“In more urgent circumstances, support may access live video during a trip,” the Waymo page said.
The San Mateo Police Department’s Facebook post has garnered nearly 60 comments, with one user accusing Waymo of “snitching.”
“At least they got a designated driver?!” one user commented.
-
Los Angeles, Ca28 minutes agoLoved ones search for missing 34-year-old Southern California woman
-
Detroit, MI48 minutes agoChickens, geese found at vacant home after nonprofit reports them stolen
-
San Francisco, CA58 minutes agoWhat’s next for San Francisco Giants as MLB trade deadline approaches?
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoDallas millionaire files lawsuit against groundwater district
-
Miami, FL1 hour ago7 more women arrested at southwest Miami-Dade massage parlors, accused of prostitution in undercover sting
-
Boston, MA1 hour ago‘They’re my buddies’: 96-year-old Back Bay woman befriends French soccer team
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoDenver officers cited for separate incidents, 1 fired
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoStudy finds dangerous chemicals in the breast milk of Seattle moms
