Nonprofit expands AI wildfire sensors in Santa Cruz Mountains​on February 16, 2025 at 3:21 pm

Additional detectors installed after fires in Southern California.   

In the wake of the Southern California wildfires, the Santa Clara County Firesafe Council and San Jose Water are installing more artificial intelligence-based wildfire detectors in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group

In the wake of the Southern California wildfires, the Santa Clara County Firesafe Council and San Jose Water are installing more artificial intelligence-based wildfire detectors in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Fighting fire with AI

The Santa Clara County Firesafe Council and San Jose Water are expanding the presence of artificial intelligence-based wildfire detectors in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The move to improve wildfire preparedness in an already high-fire risk area comes after fires ravaged thousands of acres of land in the Los Angeles area, prompting cities like San Jose and Los Gatos to take action to further prepare against future wildfires.

“The recent events in Southern California underscore the vital role of water utilities in fostering a coordinated and collaborative approach to wildfire mitigation,” said Jared Lewis, San Jose Water’s environmental planning and natural resources manager. “By harnessing advanced technology, we are enhancing water system resilience and focusing on the earliest stages of wildfire, where rapid detection and response are most critical.”

Student poetry champs

Four students in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District won a poetry competition at Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools last month.

Los Gatos High juniors Dominika (Nika) Spitzer and James Na, and Saratoga High junior Elizabeth (Elli) Kline and senior Timothy Leung advanced from the school’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud competition to the competition at the county level on Feb. 6. Students were evaluated based on categories like their physical presence and articulation of the poems they recited.

“I am incredibly proud of all the students who participated in this competition at their school,” acting superintendent Heath Rocha said in a release.

 

Fighting fire with AI

The Santa Clara County Firesafe Council and San Jose Water are expanding the presence of artificial intelligence-based wildfire detectors in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The move to improve wildfire preparedness in an already high-fire risk area comes after fires ravaged thousands of acres of land in the Los Angeles area, prompting cities like San Jose and Los Gatos to take action to further prepare against future wildfires.

“The recent events in Southern California underscore the vital role of water utilities in fostering a coordinated and collaborative approach to wildfire mitigation,” said Jared Lewis, San Jose Water’s environmental planning and natural resources manager. “By harnessing advanced technology, we are enhancing water system resilience and focusing on the earliest stages of wildfire, where rapid detection and response are most critical.”

Student poetry champs

Four students in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District won a poetry competition at Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools last month.

Los Gatos High juniors Dominika (Nika) Spitzer and James Na, and Saratoga High junior Elizabeth (Elli) Kline and senior Timothy Leung advanced from the school’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud competition to the competition at the county level on Feb. 6. Students were evaluated based on categories like their physical presence and articulation of the poems they recited.

“I am incredibly proud of all the students who participated in this competition at their school,” acting superintendent Heath Rocha said in a release.

 


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