In much of the West, the first sign of a wildfire is still a plume of smoke reported by a hiker or concerned resident. But often by the time fire crews arrive, the fire has already spread.
Pano AI, a wildfire detection technology, aims to shrink that detection and response window to just a few minutes.
Arvind Satyam is the co-founder and chief commercial officer of Pano AI, that’s being used in Mountain West states, including New Mexico. He said the mission is simple but urgent: “stop the spread of catastrophic wildfires.”
Pano’s system uses ultra–high-resolution cameras mounted on mountaintops and cellular towers, paired with artificial intelligence to look for smoke by day and heat signatures at night. The system is monitored around the clock by human analysts, who verify detections before sending alerts to fire agencies, utilities and other partners.
Speed is everything, Saytam said.
“Minutes fundamentally matter,” he said. “If you can detect a fire quickly and keep it under about 10 acres, you can fundamentally change the outcome.”
During the 2025 wildfire season, Satyam said Pano detected 725 wildfires and was the first source of notification in roughly half of those cases. And Satyam claimed many of those fires never made the news because they were contained early — often with the help of aircraft and multi-agency mutual aid, activated based on Pano’s real-time visuals.
Pano is now operating at about 700 locations in 17 states, with that number expected to top 1,000 soon. In New Mexico, deployments began roughly two years ago and now there are close to 50 sites, including some around Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Satyam credits what he calls an “organic” coalition of utilities, state foresters and local fire agencies for that growth. Arizona, Colorado, and Utah are also installing or expanding AI-assisted wildfire detection systems.
State Forester Laura McCarthy, who directs the Forestry Division within the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department in New Mexico, said AI-enabled cameras are being tested around the state to detect smoke in its earliest stages.
Two companies, Pano AI and AlertWest, currently operate early detection networks in New Mexico. The systems feed into the same dispatch centers used for traditional wildfire reports, so McCarthy says it doesn’t matter which company provides the hardware — what matters is faster information.
Pano AI and AlertWest have data showing cameras can significantly reduce response times — sometimes by 45 minutes or even hours in remote locations — which can mean the difference between a small, controllable fire and a large, costly incident, McCarthy said.
Utilities like PNM and Xcel Energy have also invested in cameras to monitor areas where a fire could threaten their infrastructure or where they might face liability for starting a fire.
Local groups are also utilizing the technology. The Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition helped install an AlertWest camera on Tesuque Peak, and the Upper Canyon Road Neighborhood Association is working to fund its own unit.
The New Mexico legislature has approved a one-year special appropriation to add more cameras in high-risk areas. McCarthy’s agency will design that contract, guided by data on wildfire risk, home density and vulnerable watersheds.
But the technology isn’t cheap. Satyam said a single site can cost about $50,000 per year. The service includes risk analysis, software, AI-detection, satellite integration, and community onboarding.
McCarthy stressed that prevention is paramount. Despite new technology, New Mexico continues to see many human-caused fires. With statewide restrictions currently in place, McCarthy said it’s up to residents to follow the rules and “do their part to prevent wildfires.”
