When Hells Hill Fire sparked four miles south of Marcola on July 22, a panoramic camera on Buck Mountain detected smoke weaving between distant trees within minutes. This enabled firefighting personnel to react quickly, ultimately containing the fire at 9 acres. …This fire season, Oregon Hazard Lab (OHAZ) cameras have detected dozens of Oregon’s high-priority fires before any human eyes saw them. Located in rural areas, there are 80 cameras set up statewide to detect potential fires. Through partnerships with Watch Duty, a fire monitoring app, and Alert West, which streams camera video live, fires can be spotted even when they ignite miles away from the nearest town. …In 2025, Multi-Mission Aircrafts and the Wildfire Detection Camera System program, where ODF detection centers use OHAZ cameras across throughout fire season, kept 94% of fires throughout the state at less than 10 acres, according to an Oregon Department of Forestry update.