Fire agencies test drones aimed at stopping small wildfires early
Autonomous drones tested in California and Alaska could give crews a faster way to attack new fires before they spread.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Fire agencies and drone companies are testing autonomous aircraft that can drop water, foam or retardant on new wildfires. The work could give firefighters a faster first response as climate change contributes to wildfire danger across more of the year in much of the United States, according to Ars Technica.
The systems are not designed to replace large airtankers or helicopters. Ars Technica reported that most drones carry far less than crewed aircraft and have shorter ranges, limiting their use on remote or already large fires. Developers are instead aiming at the earliest stage of a fire, when a fast strike may keep a small ignition from becoming more destructive.
California tests drone swarms
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as CAL FIRE, tested five autonomous drones on July 15, according to local TV station KMPH. The drones worked together to deliver a combined 500 to 1,000 gallons of firefighting foam during the field test.
The demonstration involved the nonprofit FireWERX and Seneca, a California company that plans to sell the drones commercially starting in 2026, according to Ars Technica. Seneca’s Argo-1 drones can each carry about 100 pounds of water or retardant and can operate in groups of four to six, HeliOps Magazine reported.
HeliOps reported that a human operator sends the drones to a GPS location, after which the aircraft use onboard sensors to detect a fire’s heat signature. The drones then choose a hover height and take turns spraying the target area.
The aircraft face clear operating limits. HeliOps reported that a fully loaded drone has a 10-mile round-trip range and averages about 30 mph, meaning the drones would likely need to be stationed near high-risk areas or brought close by vehicle before launch. Ars Technica reported that each drone can fit in a pickup truck with the tailgate down, and two people can carry an empty aircraft.
Seneca told HeliOps that it wants crews to be able to reload a drone and swap in a charged battery in about two minutes. The company also demonstrated the technology for San Bernardino County Fire in December 2025, according to San Bernardino County.
Alaska trial uses sensors and drones
A separate system was tested in June 2026 near Fairbanks, Alaska, during the finals of the $11 million XPRIZE Wildfire competition, according to XPRIZE. Dryad Networks, a German company, developed the Silvaguard system, which pairs wildfire detection sensors with autonomous observation and suppression drones.
Dryad says its Silvanet network uses solar-powered sensors mounted on trees to detect smoke from a smoldering fire. When a sensor sends an alert through a wireless mesh network to an internet-connected gateway, an observation drone can launch to confirm the fire and locate it using infrared and optical sensors, according to Dryad and XPRIZE.
If the system confirms a fire, a suppression drone can take off and release up to 26 gallons of suppressant, according to Ars Technica. The drones can be stored in solar-powered spherical hangar pods positioned in advance, Dryad says.
Adoption by fire agencies will determine how far the technology goes. The Aspen Fire Protection District in Colorado has committed to a five-year, $5 million contract for five Seneca drones, according to Aspen Public Radio and Seneca.
CAL FIRE has not yet bought firefighting drones, Ars Technica reported. The agency already runs more than 70 crewed fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, uses AI-backed camera networks, and supports FireSat, a satellite system designed to detect wildfires from space, according to CAL FIRE, ALERTCalifornia and FireSat project materials cited by Ars Technica.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.