PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 25, 2025--
New artificial intelligence (AI) fire-sensing cameras operated by Arizona Public Service (APS) are proactively searching 24/7 for early signs of wildfires in targeted, high fire-risk areas. They alert APS fire mitigation experts and fire dispatch centers when smoke and heat traces are detected. As part of its comprehensive wildfire mitigation strategy, APS is enhancing collaboration with firefighters and providing fire dispatch centers access to live camera feeds and fire detection information.
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“The new AI cameras act as powerful extra sets of eyes. When minutes matter, early fire detection provides real-time information so firefighters can respond faster and we can make critical operational decisions about our energy grid to help keep communities safe,” said Scott Bordenkircher, APS Forestry and Fire Mitigation Director. “Our wildfire mitigation efforts over the past 10 years, strengthened by partnerships with federal land managers, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and local fire departments, is key to delivering safe, reliable energy to customers.”
“The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management knows the capabilities of the AI cameras and the critical asset they can be for the state when it comes to DFFM’s wildfire response. We will have the ability to tap into the cameras and those feeds will help increase our situational awareness as well as provide our dispatching center with timely information to relay to our boots on the ground,” said Tom Torres, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management Director. “We appreciate the collaboration with APS to enhance our fire suppression response efforts so DFFM can better serve and protect our residents and communities.”
The new technology from Pano AI is helping mitigate wildfire risk through a variety of features, including:
“Arizona faces a growing threat from wildfires, and early detection is critical to protecting communities and infrastructure,” said Arvind Satyam, Pano AI Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer. “By partnering with APS, we’re bringing cutting-edge technology and real-time intelligence to the frontlines of wildfire response. These AI-powered cameras spot smoke from miles away and provide actionable insights that help the utility and emergency responders move quickly and decisively.”
Recent examples of AZ wildfire detection through the lens of AI
December 2024:
February 2025:
What else does APS do to help reduce wildfire risk?
For more information on APS’s wildfire mitigation efforts, visit aps.com/wildfiresafety. To learn more about the wildfire camera technology, visit pano.ai.
APS serves about 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, reliable, and clean energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, one of the nation’s largest producers of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is about 54% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
Arizona Public Service artificial intelligence (AI) smoke-detection camera installed in northern Arizona. (Courtesy: Pano AI)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Wind-driven wildfires that were among South Korea's worst ever were ravaging the country's southern regions, killing 18 people, destroying more than 200 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.
Officials also said a helicopter crashed during efforts to contain wildfires in the southeastern town of Uiseong, one of the areas hardest-hit by the wildfires. The Korea Forest Service said rescue efforts were underway and it was presumed that the aircraft was operated by one pilot with no crew members.
An ancient Buddhist temple, houses, factories and vehicles were among the structures destroyed in the wildfires that have burned 43,330 acres and injured 19 people, the government’s emergency response center said.
In a televised address, South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo said the wildfires that began last Friday were causing worse damage than many other past wildfires.
“Damages are snowballing,” Han said. “There are concerns that we’ll have wildfire damages that we’ve never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities to put out the wildfires in the rest of this week.”
Han said crews were struggling to extinguish the wildfires because strong winds swept the areas overnight. Han said about 4,650 firefighters, soldiers and other personnel were working Wednesday to extinguish the wildfires with the help of about 130 helicopters. He said that “a small amount” of 5-10 millimeters of rain was expected Thursday.
Observers say the ongoing wildfires are the third biggest in South Korea in terms of land burned.
Officials in several southeastern cities and towns had ordered residents to evacuate Tuesday as firefighters struggled to contain multiple blazes fueled by dry winds. The largest fires were in Andong, the neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, according to South Korea's Interior Ministry.
Earlier on Tuesday, officials had said firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but wind and dry conditions allowed the blazes to spread again. But efforts to fight the fires were partially suspended overnight as the winds strengthened.
The blaze in Uiseong destroyed nearly half of more than 30 structures at Gounsa, a temple which was said to be originally built in the 7th century. Among the destroyed structures were two state-designated “treasures" — a pavilion-shaped structure built on a stream built in 1668 and a Joseon Dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.
The temple’s another state-designated “treasure,” a stone Buddha statue reportedly manufactured in the 8th century, was evacuated to a safe place, according to government and Buddhist officials.
The Justice Ministry said it protectively removed 500 inmates from a detention center in Cheongsong, another southern town, but no damages were reported to the facility.
The Korea Forest Service said it had raised its wildfire warning to the highest “serious” level nationwide Tuesday, requiring local governments to assign more workers to emergency response, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend that military units withhold live-fire exercises.
The 18 dead include four firefighters and government workers who were killed in Sancheong on Saturday after being trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds, according to officials.
Government officials suspect human error caused several of the fires, possibly due to the use of fire while clearing overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding work.
Burnt-out houses are seen at a damaged village due to wildfires in Yeongdeok, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Burnt-out houses are seen at a damaged village due to wildfires in Yeongdeok, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
A person walks past houses destroyed by wildfires at a village in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters inspect the wreckage of a crashed firefighting helicopter at a mountain in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap via AP)
The wreckage of a crashed firefighting helicopter is seen at a mountain in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap via AP)
South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo, center, speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Hong Hae-in/Yonhap via AP)
A bell is seen broken at the remains of the bell pavilion at Goun Temple in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
Burnt-out houses are seen at a damaged village due to wildfires in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Escaped villagers from wildfires take rest at a shelter in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
A man walks near a burnt-out house in a damaged village in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Houses burn in a village after being engulfed by a wildfire fueled by strong winds in Uiseong, South Korea, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
A road is closed as a wildfire fueled by strong winds spreads in Uiseong, South Korea, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
A Korea Forest Service helicopter dumps fire retardant on a wildfire in Sancheong, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Kim Dong-min/Yonhap via AP)
A firefighter works to extinguish a fire at a house that has been engulfed in a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
Houses burn in a village after being engulfed by a wildfire fueled by strong winds in Uiseong, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
A Korea Forest Service helicopter dumps fire retardant on a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
