Last year’s Pacific Palisades, California wildfires caused an estimated $65 billion in damage and destroyed more than 700 structures. The fire started after a dry area on a hillside was deliberately set on fire. Although the fire was detected early, it could not be extinguished because there was no equipment that could access the remote area. This week, drone company Seneca showed off a firefighting drone system specifically for this type of situation.
Five Seneca drones work in a team to put out the fire. Infrared cameras on the front of the drones track the location of the fire before an artificial intelligence (AI) system plans how to extinguish it.
Class A foam will be sprayed through two funnels on the front of the drones, with each drone carrying 45kg of foam in a storage compartment. The five drones will then take turns matching or ensuring that the fire does not spread beyond an area of 100 square feet.
The drones can be folded and placed in the back of a medium-sized truck. They are flown using a tablet with operators using a GPS guidance system to fly it automatically. Seneca said the drones produced are now ready for use during the 2026 fire season.
