AI system
- System
-
ALERTCalifornia camera network with DigitalPath AI smoke detection
- Model
-
Not assessed
- Release
-
Not assessed
- Application developer
-
DigitalPath (AI smoke detection);
ALERTCalifornia, University of California San Diego (camera network) - Role
-
Not assessed
- Configuration
-
Not assessed
- Inputs and outputs
-
Not assessed
- Autonomy
-
Not assessed
- Workflow
-
A fixed camera network with 24/7 AI smoke detection covering remote terrain. A dispatch center that verifies AI alerts and sends crews without waiting for a 911 call.
- Human oversight
-
Not assessed
- Relation to AI
-
The AI alert was the only report of the Auburn fire. Cal Fire's command center verified it and dispatched on it. The same source says the system still produces false positives from dust and clouds, so human verification sits between alert and dispatch.
- AI contribution
-
The AI alert was the only report of the Auburn fire. Cal Fire's command center verified it and dispatched on it. The same source says the system still produces false positives from dust and clouds, so human verification sits between alert and dispatch.
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
-
Not assessed
- Benefit
-
crews put the fire out before it spread beyond a 30 x 30 foot area
- Category
-
Reduced Risk
- Status
-
Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
-
Organizations. Society.
- Beneficiaries
-
Not assessed
- Reach
-
Not assessed
- Distribution and access
-
Not assessed
- Duration
-
Not assessed
- Expected?
-
Yes
- Costs and harms
-
Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
-
Not assessed
- Study design
-
Not assessed
- Measurement
-
Not assessed
- Setting and sample
-
Not assessed
- Measures
-
crews put the fire out before it spread beyond a 30 x 30 foot area
- Comparison
-
waiting for a 911 call from the public
- Results
-
Reference: Nobody had called 911. Result: put it out before it spread beyond a 30 x 30 foot area.
- Additional value from AI
-
Not assessed
- Limitations
-
Not assessed
- Denominators
-
Not assessed
- Materials for replication
-
Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
-
Not assessed
- Amount
-
Not assessed
- Currency and prices
-
Not assessed
- Period and unit
-
Not assessed
- Realization
-
Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
-
Not assessed
- Gross or net
-
Not assessed
- Included costs
-
Not assessed
- Comparison
-
Not assessed
- Method
-
Not assessed
- Return and payback
-
Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
-
Developer: DigitalPath (AI smoke detection);
ALERTCalifornia, University of California San Diego (camera network). Operator: 
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). - Jurisdictions
-
Benefit: Auburn,
United States. Developer: United States. Operator: United States. - Ownership and control
-
Not assessed
- Dependencies
-
Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
-
Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
-
Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
-
A human verifies the alert before dispatch. The same source reports false positives from dust and clouds. Crews can reach the fire while it is still small.
- Replication attempts
-
2 follow-up entries. Benefit recurred: 2.
- Later findings
-
15 October 2026. By October 2026 the network had grown to nearly 1,300 cameras, with AI spotting most fires before a 911 call and the program director planning 1,800 cameras.
- Availability
-
Not assessed
- Institutional decision
-
Not assessed
- Grounds
-
Not assessed
- Action and result
-
Not assessed
- Success criterion
-
Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
-
AIBD-0007-source-0001–0006
- Citations
-
Numbered references below.
- Language
-
Not assessed
- Source relationships
-
Independent, Operator
- Original evidence
-
Not assessed
- Access and versions
-
Not assessed
- Supported findings
-
Not assessed
- Evidence links
-
Not assessed
- Evidence strength
-
Not assessed
- Missing evidence
-
Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
-
Organizations. Society.
- Depth
-
Organizations: 2. Society: 2.
- Reasons
-
Organizations: Cal Fire's Grass Valley command center dispatched engines on the alert. Crews extinguished the fire at a 30 x 30 ft area, avoiding a larger night-time incident. Society: Residents near Auburn benefited from a fire being put out before it spread. The damage avoided is not quantified for this fire in the sources.
- Observed or intended
-
Not assessed
- Rubric
-
Not assessed
- Assessor and date
-
Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
-
Not assessed
- Fill
-
Independently reported
Entry details
- Kind
-
Not assessed
- Related entries
-
Wildfire alerting in California: Facebook's AI moderation removed Cal Fire and Forest Service evacuation and fire-tracking updates as spam, harming the residents and evacuees whom the ALERTCalifornia camera alert near Auburn protected.
- Field
-
Wildfire detection and response. Public safety / fire services.
- Purpose
-
Built to detect smoke in camera feeds and alert fire dispatchers automatically. This benefit is that purpose.
- Dates
-
Date basis unassessed: 2024 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
- Stage
-
Not assessed
- Version
-
SHA-256: 01c7e0ca7261…
References
- Other identifiers
-
AI Incident Database: 796.
- Category mappings
-
Not assessed
- Brief
-
Not assessed
- Revisions
-
9 revisions. Latest: 21 October 2026.
Sources
-
News report Independent author
an AI camera posted an alert at 2:33 am of a fire near Auburn, in the foothills east of Sacramento. Nobody had called 911.
-
News report Independent author
Rogers, P. (2025). AI cameras are spotting wildfires across California—often before humans call 911. MediaNews Group via Tribune Content Agency, republished by Phys.org.
Of those, 1,668 were picked up by the cameras, said Cal Fire's York. And 38%, or 636, were detected by the cameras before any person called 911
-
News report Independent author
Reuters (2023). California turns to AI to help spot wildfires. Republished by Gulf News.
Within 45 minutes the fire was out, Cal Fire said.
-
News report Independent author
Stevens, A. (2024). AI technology detects fire in rural San Luis Obispo County before 911 calls are made. KSBY.
Without that early detection, that fire could have grown to a couple of hundred acres in size and potentially burned structures.
-
News report Independent author
Branch, J. (2026). How California is using AI and cameras to stop wildfires. The New York Times, republished by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
This system has changed the world of response. We have instant visibility and instant information that we need to make response decisions.
-
Press release Deployer
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom (2023). TIME Recognizes CAL FIRE AI & AlertCalifornia as a Best Invention of 2023. gov.ca.gov.
In the first two months, the system had correctly identified 77 fires before any 911 calls came in