Time-lapse video of the start of the Mill Fire in Plumas County, California on July 22, 2024 captured by two UC San Diego's ALERTCalifornia cameras. The first clip shows the thunderstorm rolling through and the subsequent fire started by lightning strikes. The second clip shows the rapid growth of the pyrocumulus cloud. Multiple camera views provide emergency managers with additional information to help make informed decisions during emergencies.

ALERTCalifornia's camera sensors can see 60-70 miles on a clear day and more than 120 miles on a clear night. These cameras provide emergency managers with the information they need to respond to and monitor hazards like wildfires in real time.

Watch ALERTCalifornia's more than 1,080 (as of July 2024) monitoring cameras live at https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org

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About ALERTCalifornia:

ALERTCalifornia provides state-of-the-art technology that supports data-driven decisions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.

Based at the University of California San Diego, ALERTCalifornia is a public safety program working to understand wildfires and other natural hazards, and determine short and long-term impacts on people and the environment to inform management decisions.

The state-focused program manages a growing network of more than 1,087 monitoring cameras and sensor arrays (as of July 2024), and collects data that provides actionable, real-time information to inform public safety. In addition to the camera network, and in response to increasingly frequent and severe climate-driven disasters, ALERTCalifornia is prioritizing novel data collection and research. These data are shared with fellow institutions and partners.

Advanced technology offers fresh insight into the cascading disasters associated with wildfires, such as post-fire debris flows, floods, and erosion. These data will lead to a greater understanding of natural disasters and their long-term pacts on air, water, and soil quality as well as human health in California.

Our multidisciplinary team is based at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering, Qualcomm Institute, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. We also work closely with partners like CAL FIRE across the state.

Learn more at https://alertcalifornia.org

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