SAN DIEGO COUNTY, California — Santa Ana wind events are far more frequent this year even during what’s typically San Diego’s rainy season causing increased concern for wildfires. A web of cameras across California are helping fire crews in unprecedented ways.
Those living in San Diego know all too well the importance of getting to a fire fast, especially during our wild winds.
Cal Fire San Diego crews say these cameras have been a game-changer for them, helping firefighters to be able to make decisions within seconds when it used to take 20 to 30 minutes to access some of these fires especially out in the back country.
Neal Driscoll, Director of UC San Diego’s ALERTWildfire program proposed adding the cameras to a network of remote seismic stations after a close call at his own home. He says the cameras are especially useful during dry lightning strikes and Santa Ana winds.
“When they’re gusting 80- 90 mph hurricane-force... it's really tough to fight a fire. So getting on a fire in the incipient phase is critical to try and stay on the offense,” Neal said. “They can sense heat so we can put a cam on lightning strike and sometimes they ignite right away other times they strike 5-7 days later.”
And now, nearly every fire-prone ridgetop across California has a camera as part of the ALERTWildfire network. More than 700 active cameras have been installed throughout the west with 647 of them in California. 36 cameras have views of San Diego County land.
Firefighters can zoom in and find out exactly where to send their crews.
These cameras are available to the public so residents can also see if their homes are in danger.
When it comes to acres destroyed, California has experienced the worst fire season in history in 2020 with over 4 million acres devoured by flames.
Neal explains that the region’s rainy season is getting shorter and the dry season is getting longer with Santa Ana winds well into December. And each new camera is another tool to help firefighters.