©Mosaic

A new wildfire-spotting camera on Sidney Island can detect fires so well that the first five alerts crews received were for blazes burning on the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island, as far away as the Malahat. The AI-powered machine serves as “eyes” on the small island east of the Saanich Peninsula, while 45 sensors work as a collective “nose,” detecting air changes that could signal a fire, said Triana Newton, director of the Sidney Island Fire Brigade. …The growing wildfire risk prompted Mosaic Forest Management to install SenseNet cameras atop Mt. Benson, near Nanaimo in early August. The two high-resolution cameras work day and night, providing a 360-degree view of the area, said Steve Mjaaland, manager of forest protection for Mosaic. …Shahab Bahrami, co-founder and chief technology officer for SenseNet, said that about a third of the 200 detection cameras installed across Canada are in B.C.