Wildfire detection camera installed in Mckenzie River Valley
LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- Local officials installed a new camera on one of the highest ridges in the Mckenzie River Valley today as part of wildfire prevention efforts across central and southern Oregon.
“[Rep.] Nancy Nathanson has been really pivotal to help get this project up off the ground...”
Crews climbed a 190-foot tall tower owned by the Eugene Water and Electric Board that provides communications for their nearby Carmen-Smith hydroelectric project. At the top, they mounted a digital camera that allows firefighting officials to spot a wildfire early and respond before it spreads.
The camera is part of the ALERTWildfire system and is one of 700 cameras across six states. It is the first to be installed in the Holiday Farm Fire area, the seventh to be installed in Lane County, and the twenty-third to be installed in Oregon. The ALERTWildfire system is maintained by the University of Nevada, Reno, University of California San Diego and the University of Oregon.
Nick Maggio, assistant director of Wildfire Technology, Oregon Hazards Lab at UO, says they’re just getting started.
“We have 23 cameras that we put up with partners like Lane County Sheriff’s office. Elevate Technology, Emerald Broadband, ODOT, BLM and [state representative] Nancy Nathanson has been really pivotal to help get this project up off the ground,” Maggio said. “We're really excited that we are going to be growing fairly rapidly the next couple of years.”
The camera lens has a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains, and can see 40 miles out in the day and 120 miles at night. The digital fire lookout, which will have a live feed viewable on the internet, will be able to spot fires when they’re small before they threaten nearby communities in the Mckenzie River Valley.