A year after the most destructive wildfire in the state's history scorched nearly 1,100 homes, Colorado lawmakers are considering joining other Western states by adopting artificial intelligence in hopes of detecting blazes before they burn out of control.
A proposal that legislators will discuss in a hearing Thursday would create a $2 million pilot program to mount cameras on mountaintops in high-risk locations. An artificial intelligence program developed by a private company would analyze the images and sounds from cameras with 10-mile (about 16-kilometer) radiuses in hopes of detecting something that could signal the start of a blaze. It is part of an ongoing effort by firefighters to use new technology to become smarter in how they prepare and better position their resources.
KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver
|
Fire chiefs from around the West Coast gathered Wednesday to reflect on the 2022 fire season and look ahead to the dangers presented in 2023.
Last year, Southern Oregon and Northern California were spared the worst. Officials say additional rainfall as a result of La Nina helped keep wildfires to a minimum in the Northwest.
"There are complex variables that all impact what the fire weather situation looks like and we try to distill it down to something understandable. It's very useful data not just for fire service professionals to prepare for the upcoming fire season but also for our communities," Western Fire Chiefs Association Interim Deputy Director Bob Horton said.
One factor fire officials say helped is the loosening of COVID restrictions. They say those restrictions led to many people trying to get out to the mountains and wilderness areas for recreation, and thus a lot more accidental fires.
KTVL-TV CBS 10 Medford
|
Smokejumpers who survived a “gobbler” of a wildfire in 1961 will recount their harrowing experience in an upcoming film on Montana PBS. “Higgins Ridge,” named for location of the fire in Idaho’s Selway Bitterroot Wilderness, will air Monday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m.
In the film, 12 of the 20 smokejumpers who jumped onto Higgins Ridge on Aug. 4, 1961, share the story of how the fire surrounded them, forcing them to shelter in place. About three hours later, helicopter pilot Rod Snider managed to land on the ridge in smoke and wind and shuttle the smokejumpers to safety. Snider, now 92 years old, is featured in the documentary along with many of his original photos taken in 1961.
“This is a story that, for 60 years, never was shared beyond a few smokejumper circles,” producer Breanna McCabe said.
Daily Interlake
|