Wildfire Stories May 13
Drones are coming in to help fight the effects from the wildfires that destroyed a large amount of land in Australia earlier this year. XAG has joined forces with the country’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELPW) and Heytesbury District Landcare Network (HDLN) to create the first post-fire drone seeding operation in Victoria, Australia.
Wildfire Stories February 14
An early bushfire detection system is currently seeking funding to be deployed before Australia’s next bushfire season thanks to UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute, a research group headed by Professor Joe Dong. The new system will utilize drones equipped with an array of sensors to monitor changes that could mean a bushfire is nearing.
Wildfire Stories January 26
On the 23rd of January, reports came in of a C-130 Hercules water tanker disappearing from radar while supporting firefighters on the ground in the Australian bushfires. Fire crews on the ground later shared information of a plane going down, resulting in a fireball.
Wildfire Stories January 21
Earlier this month, a bushfire in the Perth suburb of Baldivis, Australia, didn’t allow firefighters to take advantage of aerial support for some time due to a rogue drone being spotted close to the fire. The aerial support was forced to hold off while the drone finally made its way back to the ground.
Wildfire Stories December 4, 2019
Wildfire Stories October 29, 2019
This year’s fire season in California has started out with massive fires in Los Angeles and near San Francisco. PG&E’s aging transmission lines form a huge risk as failing equipment can potentially start wildfires as was the case last year. The Camp Fire in 2018 was started by a powerline that came down from a transmission tower after one of the hooks that hold up the lines broke. An article in the Wall Street Journal investigates the status of the PG&E towers and lines in California and uses drone footage to show the aging equipment.
