As fires still continue to burn around Jerusalem, the question looms: why hasn't Israel learned the necessary lessons from the Carmel disaster? Why hasn't it implemented early-warning technologies that are already in use worldwide?
Alongside 126 firefighting and rescue teams working to contain the blaze, Croatia, France, and Cyprus are expected to send firefighting aircraft to assist in battling one of the largest wildfires in Israel’s history.
In various Western countries rich with dense forests, large parks, and towns or cities nearby, authorities have long understood the growing danger, one that is only intensifying with ongoing climate change.
From AI-driven systems to satellites, drones, and ground sensors, these are the technologies playing a central role in early detection and rapid wildfire response:
Artificial intelligence-based systems
Artificial intelligence (AI) is now integrated into smoke and heat detection systems, enabling rapid and precise identification of fire outbreaks. For example, a system developed at the University of Amazonas in Brazil uses convolutional neural networks to analyze satellite images and can detect fires with impressive accuracy.
In California, an AI-based system scans images from mountain cameras to detect early signs of smoke, reducing the workload on human monitoring teams.
Satellites for space-based monitoring
Satellites equipped with thermal sensors allow real-time monitoring of vast areas. NASA’s FIRMS system provides global data on heat sources and fires, enabling rapid identification of new outbreaks.
German company OroraTech operates a constellation of nano-satellites equipped with thermal cameras, capable of detecting fires as small as 16 square meters, and delivering updates every 30 minutes.
Drones and ground sensors
Thermal cameras mounted on drones, along with advanced sensors, enable scanning of difficult-to-reach areas. In Germany, Dryad Networks developed a system that combines solar-powered gas sensors to detect fires at an early stage.
Once a fire is detected, an autonomous drone that transmits infrared images from the field is activated. In California, drones are used to map the extent of wildfires and provide crucial information to firefighting crews.
Prediction and early-warning systems
Advanced systems integrate data from multiple sources — including satellites, drones, ground sensors, and meteorological models — to predict the spread of wildfires and alert at-risk communities.
The WIFIRE system, developed in collaboration with the University of California, enables real-time simulations of fire behavior, helping to inform data-driven decision-making.