AI firefighting drones take aim at wildfires

Wildfires can get a frightening head start.

A small ignition in remote terrain can grow while firefighters are still trying to reach it.

Now, a new generation of AI firefighting drones could help shrink that response window.

CAL FIRE recently tested Seneca's autonomous suppression drones in California.

Meanwhile, teams competing in the $11 million XPRIZE Wildfire competition put other autonomous systems through field testing in Alaska.

The goal is to detect a fire early and get suppressant onto it while it is still small.

The timing is important.

NOAA says human-caused warming is contributing to larger and more severe wildfires in California and the western United States.

Research has also linked warming conditions with longer wildfire seasons in the West.

Here's how these firefighting drones work, what recent tests revealed and where they could be deployed next.

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