In this image provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Durkee fire burns in the background as it nears Interstate 84 near Huntington, Ore., early Sunday, July 21, 2024. (Oregon Department of Transportation via AP)AP
Large forest fires fueled by climate change have burned over 1 million acres in California and Oregon, marking a particularly destructive start to wildfire season and hastening the need for new solutions.
It’s no surprise that much of that focus is on artificial intelligence, a burgeoning and hopeful technology that has also stirred fears and anxiety about its potential consequences, such as eliminating human jobs and industries.
AI is already used to mitigate the threat of wildfires nationwide, helping communities in the drought-hit West and places like Maui find, avoid, fight, and recover from them.
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AI can help detect the first signs of smoke, spot fires from satellites, and predict where fires may start and how they will burn in certain terrains. On July 23, the Biden administration announced a $20 million investment that will improve detection, tracking, and provide public safety data.
The federal government maintains an online tracking system that offers a trove of live wildfire data neatly displayed on a map. It can show the location and size of fires, including associated smoke plumes and air sensor readings, acting as early warning systems for residents in neighboring communities and states.
While AI has been useful for residents, there are reservations about its effectiveness on the front lines, where humans remain the best form of defense against wildfires.
Max Alonzo, a 12-year wildland firefighter veteran and current Secretary-Treasurer of the Washington, D.C.-based National Federation of Federal Employees, told Reckon that he doesn’t believe AI has made much of a difference and has detracted from major pay and welfare disputes within the federal government’s wildland firefighting service.
“Artificial intelligence cannot pay our men and women enough,” said Alonzo, whose organization is leading a multi-year effort to secure a permanent pay increase and benefits for wildland firefighters. “It can’t raise the budget to create housing in rural areas for our land management employees. It can’t address the mental health issues we see with our men and women deployed to these fires for months at a time.”
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Alonzo said he’s unaware of any formal AI training or planning within the service. However, he did note that as the threat from climate change has grown, the resources needed to fight wildfires have not and are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.
“I’m sure there is a place for AI,” he added. But I have not seen where it can really make any positive impact at this point.”
The average wildland firefighter’s pay is typically around $34,000 a year but was significantly increased in 2021 by a temporary $20,000 bump that expired in Sept. 2023. However, with predictions that 50% of firefighters would quit without a new pay deal, the increase was extended by another year.
The U.S. House passed a $330 million pay increase, and there are encouraging signs that the plan will pass the U.S. Senate. But money is just one of the issues. High rates of suicide, homelessness and cancer remain major points of contention as pay negotiations continue.
Big wildfire season
Nearly 30,000 wildfires have burned around 4.7 million acres in 2024, higher than the 10-year average, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
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The Durkee Fire in Oregon’s Blue Mountain region is 86% contained as of Monday after burning around 300,000 acres since July 17. Started by lightning strikes, it’s one of the largest wildfires in state history. Dozens of other large blazes in the state are close to collectively surpassing the massive and destructive 2020 season, which burned around 1.2 million acres.
California’s Park Fire has burned close to 400,000 acres but was allegedly started on purpose. It’s the fourth largest in state history and is around 30% contained.
It was hoped that heavy summer rains would deter drought conditions, but a triple-digit heatwave in July left large chunks of the West vulnerable. Smoke from the fires has spread to northern Canada, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean, according to the NIFC.
AI has shown some promise in mitigating the worst of wildfires and helping plan ahead.
In the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, which were started by downed powerlines but exacerbated by dry conditions, Michigan State University researchers produced highly detailed maps that allowed them to track how the fires started and spread. The maps can help with remediation efforts and assess future risks, like the location of forests and vegetation in relation to at-risk communities. Other AI technologies under consideraation in Hawai’i enable officials to make hyper-local wildfire predictions using rainfall, soil moisture and wind speeds. According to scientists at the University of Hawai’i, dry brush and high winds are strong predictors of wildfires.
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Although some AI wildfire technology may be years away from reaching its full potential, combining it with advances in robotics, software, and climate change research could help with more than just detecting and fighting fires, such as monitoring flooding.
Here are someways technology is helping:
1. Early detection and monitoring
Satellite imagery: Satellites equipped with thermal sensors and infrared cameras can detect hotspots and monitor wildfire spread in real-time.
AI-supported wildfire sensors: Ground-based sensors enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) analyze data in real-time to detect early signs of wildfires, such as smoke, temperature spikes, and unusual atmospheric conditions.
Drones: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide high-resolution images and real-time data, even in remote or inaccessible areas. They can also detect heat signatures and map fire perimeters.
2. Prediction and risk assessment
Machine learning: Algorithms analyze vast amounts of data, including weather patterns, vegetation moisture levels, and historical fire data, to predict wildfire risk and behavior.
Weather forecasting models: Advanced meteorological models predict conditions conducive to wildfires, such as high winds and low humidity, enabling better preparedness.
GIS mapping: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map high-risk areas by analyzing topography, vegetation, and human activity, helping to allocate resources more effectively.
Flooding sensors: Post-fire sensors can monitor areas at risk of flooding due to vegetation loss and altered landscapes, providing early warnings and risk assessments.
3. Communication and coordination
Incident management systems: Integrated systems like the Incident Command System (ICS) help coordinate responses by providing a common platform for communication and resource allocation among multiple agencies.
Mobile apps: Apps like “Wildfire Info” and “Fires Near Me” provide real-time updates and alerts to the public, helping communities stay informed and safe.
4. Suppression and containment
Aerial firefighting: Advanced aircraft equipped with infrared cameras and water or retardant dropping systems, such as I4F foam, are used to combat fires. These include helicopters, drones, and fixed-wing planes.
Robotics: Ground-based firefighting robots can navigate hazardous terrains to create firebreaks, clear vegetation, and apply fire retardants, reducing risk to human firefighters.
Firefighting equipment: Innovations like fire-resistant drones and autonomous vehicles enhance firefighting capabilities and safety.
Data Analytics: Analyzing data from past wildfires helps improve future responses and strategies. This includes understanding fire patterns and the effectiveness of suppression techniques.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge.
Jesse Calhoun’s defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where victims’ family members were present. The hearing, during which Calhoun remained silent, came after he was indicted last week on the most recent second-degree murder charge over the death of Ashley Real, 22, in 2023.
Calhoun has now been charged with five counts of second-degree murder for five victims, along with four counts of abuse of a corpse. The victims’ bodies were found over multiple months in early 2023, sparking concern at the time that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region.
Calhoun was previously indicted in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
He remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defense attorneys declined to comment.
Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Their bodies were found in a roughly 100-mile radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert.
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Jose Real, Ashley Real’s father, was in tears as he spoke with reporters after the hearing. He recalled memories of watching her grow up and playing with her brother.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Masciell Real, Ashley’s sister, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Relatives of other victims were also present.
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“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real previously told The Associated Press that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up crying at his Portland home, saying she had been choked by Calhoun. She had marks on her throat, he said, and he took her to a hospital.
Real said at the time that an initial police report was taken but that the case was then transferred to a different jurisdiction and it was difficult to reach those overseeing it. Details of the attack were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
His daughter’s body was found in May 2023 by a man who was fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and then indicted in 2024 and 2025 in the other four women’s deaths. The initial indictment came weeks before Calhoun was due to be released from state prison, where he was returned in 2023 to finish serving a four-year term for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary and other charges.
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He was initially released in 2021, a year early, because he helped fight wildfires in 2020 under a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in the deaths.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
