Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection)
Definition
California's state fire agency, which has integrated drone aerial survey and multispectral imaging into major wildfire investigations since 2018. Operational use in the 2018 Camp Fire investigation contributed spatial data characterising the relationship between the ignition area and the PG&E transmission-line corridor.
- Jurisdiction
- State of California, US
- Technology adopted
- Drone aerial survey, multispectral imaging (since 2018)
- Notable case
- 2018 Camp Fire investigation
- Contribution
- Spatial data on ignition area and PG&E transmission-line corridor
Common questions
What advantage did multispectral drone imaging give Cal Fire investigators in the Camp Fire investigation?+
Multispectral imaging can reveal vegetation stress, heat signatures, and terrain features not visible in ordinary photography, letting investigators map fire spread patterns and correlate them spatially with infrastructure such as transmission lines more precisely than ground survey alone.
How does Cal Fire's role differ from a local fire department's role in a wildfire investigation?+
Cal Fire's investigative division has statewide jurisdiction and peace-officer authority for wildland fires on state responsibility lands, allowing it to lead complex, multi-jurisdiction origin-and-cause investigations that a single local department would not have authority to conduct alone.
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