Here’s how AI cameras are helping crews get a jump on Arizona wildfires

PHOENIX — Arizona Public Service is using new artificial intelligence cameras to help grid operators and emergency crews respond more quickly when wildfires ignite.

While APS utility crews have often relied on humans in watchtowers to spot smoke, the AI cameras can continuously and proactively search for wildfires, even in the dark.

They also have the capability of differentiating between a fire and something like a car kicking up dust, and since the cameras are connected to a nationwide network, they are also constantly learning and improving.

Artificial intelligence cameras are helping spot potentially dangerous wildfires, which allows crews to stop them before they get out of hand. Wade Ward with @apsFYI gives a demo 🌲🔥@KTAR923 @AZMorningNews pic.twitter.com/8DnLMQyTlX

— Colton Krolak (@ColtonKrolak) March 24, 2025

During a demonstration for the media in Phoenix on Monday, Wade Ward, APS manager of wildfire mitigation, said that once a camera detects a fire, it will immediately send a notification to the utility company and forest dispatch centers across the state.

“They go and look and determine whether this is going to be a risk or not,” Ward said. “They can send resources that direction early on. Early detection means early suppression, and that means we can avoid catastrophic wildfires.”

State fire official says AI cameras are an important upgrade

John Truett, state fire management officer with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, called the AI capabilities a game changer.

He echoed the importance of early detection and being able to respond while the fire is still small.

“A lot of their [APS] transmission lines are out in the remote areas to where we have a hard time detecting those smokes until it’s too late and the fire’s beyond our initial attack capabilities,” Truett said.

Still, Truett said he is “very concerned” about Arizona’s dry conditions, even after the state received a fair amount of storm activity earlier this month.

“This is basically a historic-type drought for the last six months or so. The little … shot of rain we got came at probably the worst time it could come. … It’s going to add to the grass crop and with the warm temperatures coming this week … it’s going to dry out fast,” he warned.

APS initially installed 15 cameras last year, and the utility plans to add another 15 across targeted areas in northern Arizona, north Phoenix and southeastern Arizona by the start of summer.

While the program is relatively new, it’s already had an impact. One of the AI cameras in Prescott National Forest detected the Brady Fire last month when it was still under an acre in size. The wildfire, which started west of Mayer on Feb. 10, was contained to 363 acres.

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