AlertTahoe fire camera system detects 57th fire in Lake Tahoe

The AlertTahoe 11-camera system surrounding the Lake Tahoe Basin has been credited for detecting its 57th fire since first being installed in 2013.

As the Kincade Fire in Sonoma and the Easy Fire in Southern California raged, a camera in Lake Tahoe spotted a small fire on the West Shore. Fire crews were able to respond and quickly put it out.

A brainchild of South Tahoe High School graduate Dr. Graham Kent when he and his wife Stephanie (also an STHS grad) were living in San Diego when the Cedar Fire came too close for comfort and destroyed the homes of neighbors. Kent was hired by the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and they moved to Northern Nevada. It was then the plans to create the network of fire cameras in Lake Tahoe started to become reality and they hit the fundraising trail to fund the system, named AlertTahoe.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center teamed up with Kent and UNR to install the eleven-camera ring around Lake Tahoe. The last one was installed this summer at D.L. Bliss State Park.

The complete network is working to keep Tahoe residents, businesses and communities safe from wildfire. The cameras have smoke detection software, which alerts local fire crews immediately. The fire dispatch center then zooms in on the smoke and sends a crew out immediately to get a jump on the fire.

"Thanks to our local interagency fire teams and resources – they all work together efficiently to ensure any Lake Tahoe Basin fires are fully extinguished as quickly as possible," said Tahoe Prosperity Center CEO Heidi Hill Drum. "We hope never to see another Angora Fire in our region and we are thankful to the local fire crews, the Forest Service, State Parks, camera funders and the University of Nevada, Reno for their collaborative efforts to keep us all safe."

The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation providing funding for the final camera and has also has an endowment set up for ongoing camera maintenance.

"AlertTahoe cameras are an innovative fire technology helping to protect our communities – from the devastating impacts that hurt the local economy, community and environment when wildfire occurs," said Hill Drum. "The Tahoe Prosperity Center is proud to have led this effort. The success of the AlertTahoe camera system has expanded into the AlertWildfire network, which covers many regions of the West Coast of the United States. California Governor Newsom has requested installation of up to 1,000 cameras across the state – and with big fires in recent memory, we hope they can be deployed quickly and efficiently to help other communities as they have helped Lake Tahoe."

Besides the 11 in the Lake Tahoe Basin there are 37 more in the Sierra.

Besides Lake Tahoe, Kent and his team have installed almost 200 cameras on the West Coast, with plans for hundreds more....all based on the success of AlertTahoe. That whole system is now called AlertWildfire and all cameras from San Diego to Washington came be viewed by the public.