Arizona is heading into wildfire season with a new technological edge. Governor Katie Hobbs unveiled a statewide network of AI-powered wildfire detection cameras Thursday, giving the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management a faster and more precise way to spot fires in their earliest — and most containable — stages.
The system, called AZFIRECAM, uses 360-degree cameras equipped with artificial intelligence to identify smoke and automatically notify the Arizona Dispatch Center the moment a potential fire is detected. The goal is to shave critical minutes off response times during the window when a wildfire is still small enough to contain before it grows into a larger threat.
Seven cameras have been positioned across the state, covering a range of geographies and fire-prone regions. Locations include the north end of the Hualapai Mountains near Sawmill, Blake Ranch in Mohave County, Wittmann in western Maricopa County, Dudleyville in Pinal County, the Foreman Wash area near Tucson, Suffering Gulch northeast of Oracle Junction in Pinal County, and a site south of the Dragoons near Chiricahua.
State Forester Tom Torres called the cameras a major advancement in early detection, saying the technology gives both firefighters and dispatchers better intelligence at the moment it matters most.
The rollout is also timed alongside the near-completion of a new DFFM Dispatch Center, adding another layer of operational readiness as the state prepares for what forecasters expect to be a demanding fire season. Together, the new cameras and upgraded dispatch infrastructure represent what Hobbs called a generational leap in how Arizona protects its communities from wildfire.
