Israeli start up uses cameras and AI to focus on ember fires that are the biggest threat to property and ecosystems
Deadly fires in California, Australia, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia and Russia have been on the rise in recent decades due to the extreme conditions caused by climate change.
These fires have caused catastrophic damage of lives, property and ecosystems and are increasing in frequency and severity as the world warms. California’s January 2025 fires alone killed 29, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and buildings and burned over 57,000 acres (23,000 ha) of land with early damage estimates between $28 and $53 billion.
Fighting these fires on such a large scale has often been not only ineffective and also deadly for firefighters, but a new AI-supported approach may be on the horizon.
The Israeli startup FireDome uses technology developed for the country’s Iron Dome defense systems to target and fight wildfires. The company uses AI technology that can help spot and prevent ember fires spreading, greatly reducing the risks to lives, property and natural habitats. It will soon be available in the US.
The FireDome system uses cameras and AI to analyze wildfires and detect embers and spot fires that occur during or after an initial fire. Spot fires are a highly underestimated aspect of the destructive nature of wildfires. A fire front often moves rapidly through an area at the same speed as the wind, which can be as fast as a high-speed car. Although the fire front is highly dangerous, most property damage is due to fire embers that create spot fires after the fire front has moved through. This is where FireDome comes in.
The FireDome system uses a dual defense approach that can protect a perimeter around a property or area with an initial launcher of fire retardant that prevents the fire front spreading to that area. Its second system can then detect spot fires on the property caused by flying embers.
The FireDome system uses a dual defense approach that can protect a perimeter around a property or area with an initial launcher of fire retardant that prevents the fire front spreading to that area.
FireDome Co-founder and CEO, Gadi Benjamin said that the fire retardant is effective “to a distance of about a quarter of a mile, which gives us coverage of about 100 acres.” The fire retardant is also functional for a number of weeks and prevents new fires from starting during this period.
With the highest number of extreme fires occurring in six of the last seven years around the world and the most extreme fires ever recorded occurring in 2024, the need to limit the impact of wildfire is becoming more essential for the natural environment as well as our homes and businesses.
Loss of wildlife due to wildfires is a growing threat to species already facing extinction due to habitat loss in many parts of the world. During the Australian fires of 2019-20, some 3 billion animals were estimated to have been killed or displaced.
“Our goal is to place systems in strategic forest locations to prevent wildfires from spreading,” Benjamin said. “This placement in ecological and urban environments will be important in reducing habitat destruction as well as for human safety and prosperity.”
The FireDome team aims to significantly bring down the destructive cost of fires – between 2% and 4% of US GDP in 2024 – to stop fires in their tracks before they cause serious damage.
In the coming decades AI and other technologies will be important solutions to addressing the growing risk of fires. FireDome aims to provide a safer and more effective approach to protecting property, communities, farmland and natural habitats.
