Camera that detects wildfires proposed for eastern Carlsbad hilltop

A Carlsbad hilltop soon could be added to a statewide list of locations with more than 1,100 remote-controlled, high-definition, pan-tilt-zoom cameras watching for wildfires.

The site is on the city’s La Costa High Reservoir property on Corintia Street, south of Alga Road and east of El Fuerte Street, in the La Costa Ridge neighborhood. The camera would overlook nearby wildland areas, including the Rancho La Costa Preserve and Box Canyon.

“The camera and equipment will be located within a secure area behind a locked fence on the Carlsbad Municipal Water District site,” states a city report. “There will be no noise, light, or ongoing disruption to the neighborhood during the installation or operation of the camera.”

The camera will complete a 360-degree sweep of the horizon every two minutes and have night-vision capabilities for 24-hour monitoring, the report states. Under clear conditions, it can see up to 60 miles during the day and 120 miles at night.

Approval of the installation is expected at Tuesday’s Carlsbad City Council meeting.

Like most of California, Carlsbad has had its share of wildfires. One of the worst was the Poinsettia fire of 2014 that started on the La Costa Resort’s golf course and crossed El Camino Real. It burned close to 600 acres and destroyed eight homes, an 18-apartment complex and two commercial buildings. Damages were estimated at $22.5 million.

The cause of the blaze was never determined. Authorities speculated that it could have been a spark from a metal golf club that hit a rock during the intense Santa Ana winds and extreme low humidity at the time.

The University of California, San Diego developed the wildfire monitoring system called AlertCalifornia in 2023, according to the website, https://alertcalifornia.org/, which includes live links to cameras across the state.

AlertCalifornia cameras have been installed in nearby Vista and San Marcos, and dozens more in rugged areas of eastern San Diego County.

During its first season, the program detected more than 1,200 fires across the state, beating 911 calls to report the fires in 30% of the incidents, the AlertCalifornia website states.

The program is a partnership between UCSD, the wireless internet company DigitalPath and Cal Fire. It uses artificial intelligence to analyze camera feeds and notify emergency responders when fires are detected.

“A machine-learned model has been created to accurately differentiate between smoke and other particles in the air,” states a 2023 Cal Fire news release.

“By harnessing the power of AI, we have the opportunity to revolutionize our firefighting strategies by analyzing vast amounts of data, predicting fire behavior, and providing real-time insights to firefighters on the ground,” it states.

Data collected by the program is intended to bring “a greater understanding of natural disasters and their long-term impacts on air, water, and soil quality as well as human health,” AssistCalifornia officials said.

Aside from providing a building permit for the installation, the city’s costs are minimal. Cal Fire has invested close to $24 million in the program, officials said.