Wildfires Spread Nationwide—How AI And Rapid Response Fight Back

The U.S. has seen 51,000 wildfire starts this year — 5,000 more than the 10-year national average—yet fewer acres have been burned than usual. Faster detection and smarter pre-positioning of firefighting resources may prevent flames from getting out of control, even as wildfire risk spreads nationwide.

Wildfires have shifted from being a seasonal concern in the West to a year-round threat nationwide. Addressing this issue requires proactive strategies, including the use of artificial intelligence for fire prediction, the deployment of rapid-response aircraft, and better land management coordination among government agencies and private landowners.

“Our AI predicts fires days in advance, letting crews and utilities act before flames start. Prevention is now as important as suppression,” says Indran Ratnathicam, chief growth officer of TechnoSilva, during a United States Energy Association virtual press briefing. His company runs billions of simulations daily for utilities and fire agencies, pinpointing areas most at risk and enabling preventative measures before ignition.

States like Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Texas—once considered low-risk—are now becoming increasingly vulnerable to wildfires. Causes include climate change, decades of forest suppression that led to overgrowth, and the expansion of the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes and businesses are close to forests, grasslands, or other wildlands.

Utilities control roughly 1% of vegetation, meaning most fires start outside their rights-of-way, yet homes and the electric grid are often directly in the path of flames.

The scope of the challenge is obvious. Although there have been more wildfires this year than ever before, the total acres burned are about 4.5 million, which is below the 10-year average of 6.3 million. That is according to Brett L’Esperance, CEO of Dauntless Air, who credits this partly to faster deployment of firefighting aircraft and smarter pre-positioning of resources, demonstrating how quick, coordinated responses can make a noticeable difference.

“We have to stop pretending that wildfire is just a summer problem,” L’Esperance told the panel. “We need to fight it like structural fires—with rapid aircraft response and a 30-minute deployment goal, regardless of who owns the land.”

Predicting Wildfires Before They Start

As wildfire risk spreads nationwide, utilities and fire agencies are increasingly turning to predictive technology. Ratnathicam’s team factors in weather, fuel moisture, topography, and vegetation conditions to anticipate where fires are most likely to occur.

Utilities use these models to guide public safety power shutoffs—temporary outages designed to prevent utility-triggered fires. They are also used to optimize vegetation management and to pre-position crews and equipment. Holy Cross Energy, for example, has shifted from a routine vegetation cut cycle to a risk-based, AI-informed approach, using satellites and multispectral imaging to identify dead or diseased trees along rights-of-way.

“We can act proactively rather than reactively,” says Bryan Hannegan, CEO of Holy Cross Energy, at the press event.

Even with robust prediction and mitigation efforts, fires can still ignite unexpectedly. This is where aerial firefighting becomes essential. Dauntless Air operates 20 aircraft across North America and uses predictive analytics to position its planes near high-risk areas. This approach enables the rapid suppression of fires, thereby protecting communities, infrastructure, and the electric grid.

“The faster we can get on a fire, the better we can prevent it from spreading,” L’Esperance says. The impact is already evident: while wildfire starts are greater than the 10-year average, total acres burned remain below average, indicating that rapid response and better coordination are reducing the severity of the most destructive fires.

Experts highlight that utilities cannot handle wildfire risk alone. Rebecca O’Neil from PNNL points out that emerging risk areas—from Minnesota to Texas—require broad partnerships with state agencies, land managers, and local stakeholders. These collaborations help manage fuels, monitor fire conditions, and coordinate responses over large regions. Doug Dorr from EPRI notes that climate shifts are increasing the number of fire weather days in areas that previously faced little risk, making these partnerships more crucial.

Looking ahead, predictive analytics, rapid aerial response, and broad collaboration are essential—but not enough. Long-term investments in grid resilience, vegetation management, and public education remain important. Julia Hamm, partner at The Ad Hoc Group, explains the bigger picture: “It’s not just about wildfires; it’s about system-wide resilience.” Investments that reduce wildfire risk also boost reliability for other extreme weather events and rising temperatures.

Skeptics argue that technology alone cannot eliminate wildfire risks. Resistance from private landowners, regulatory hurdles, and limited budgets will continue to mean that fires will threaten communities. Temporarily shutting off power to prevent utility-triggered fires can disrupt homes and businesses, and operating rapid-response firefighting aircraft is costly.

However, Ratnathicam and L’Esperance argue that combining predictive analytics, quick deployment, and proactive vegetation management clearly reduces risk, even as fire seasons grow more severe.

“We can’t stop every fire, but by acting before they start—with data, technology, and coordination—we can prevent catastrophe and protect communities nationwide,” Ratnathicam says.

Wildfires are no longer confined to the Western United States or just the summer months. The combination of AI predictions, rapid-response aircraft, vegetation management, and cooperative efforts helps protect communities, utilities, and the electrical grid. While the challenging factors of climate change, overgrowth, and development cannot be completely avoided, proactive measures can significantly reduce the risk.