A vegetation fire that started in a remote area of Orange County last month continued to burn unreported and unnoticed until authorities were alerted to it by artificial intelligence, authorities said.
The Orange County Fire Department detailed the incident in a post to X on Friday.
At around 2 a.m. on December 4, the AI at UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia camera network notified OCFA that an anomaly had been detected in the video footage. The network has multiple cameras installed in high-risk areas of Southern California.
Dispatchers at OCFA’s emergency command center received an alert from the AI of UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia camera network when a vegetation fire was detected in a remote area of OC (OCFA)
The anomaly was determined to be a vegetation fire in Black Star Canyon east of Lake Irvine. Alerted by AI, firefighters were able to contain the fire to less than 4 acres, keeping homes and people safe.
Due to the remote location, darkness of the area, and early morning fire, the fire would have spread significantly before humans noticed it without the AI detection. Possibly.
“This is an example of how we are leveraging emerging technologies and strategic partnerships to fight wildfires,” said OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy. “Wildfire risk is now a year-round problem, and early detection and cooperation are essential to protect life and property.”
OCFA said it has been using AI to assist with reported fires for some time and this is the first time it has been detected solely by AI.
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