From Italian Skies to Korean Hillsides: How Drones Are Rewriting Wildfire Response
Published on 09/13/2026 at 07:10 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Wildfire agencies on three continents are betting on the same playbook: put eyes in the air, add algorithms, and catch flames while they are still small enough to stamp out. Recent operations from Southeast Asia to the Alps suggest the approach is gaining traction.
Riau: Drones and a Peat-Penetrating Formula
Police in Indonesia's Riau province (Polda Riau) deployed drones alongside a firefighting agent called "X Fire" in September to attack forest and land fires across Siak and Pelalawan. Nine hotspots were logged in Desa Suka Mulya. By Friday afternoon, five had been extinguished, with crews still working the remaining four.
The formula is designed to seep deep into peat soil and snuff out smoldering pockets below the surface. For the Pelalawan operation, 300 jerrycans of the mixture, each holding 20 litres, were staged. Police were joined by military units (TNI) and civilian disaster-management agencies (BPBD).
Calabria: 4,899 Flights in One Summer
Italy's Calabria region ran a large-scale aerial surveillance programme under the banner "Tolleranza Zero" between late June and the end of August 2026. Drones flew 4,899 sorties, covered more than 104,000 kilometres and reached 361 municipalities.
The payoff came in August alone, when 73 fires were spotted early. Since a dedicated platform went live at the end of July, operators have also compiled video and photo dossiers to document arson and illegal waste burning.
Sangju Bets 1.3 Billion Won on AI
In South Korea, the city of Sangju in North Gyeongsang province is putting roughly 1.3 billion won into an AI-driven wildfire surveillance system. The 18-month project is scheduled to wrap up by May 2027 and bundles AI CCTV, purpose-built detection algorithms and automated drone stations.
City officials were recently shown how the components work during a field demonstration held at a former middle school.
Saxony-Anhalt's Camera Network and the €30,000 Drone
Germany's Saxony-Anhalt is currently relying on an AI-supported camera system at 16 locations for early detection. The technology's promise was already on display in 2023, when a pilot project in the Harz mountains saw a drone pick out a fire no larger than one square metre from a distance of two to three kilometres.
A drone of that kind costs about €30,000. Current research is also targeting fuel-cell propulsion that could stretch flight times to as long as eight hours.
Night Drills and Vineyard Patrols
Austria's Gussendorf fire brigade held a night exercise in September using drones fitted with thermal and infrared cameras. The setup included AI-based location detection and GPS markers delivered via QR code. Within two hours, five missing people were located in a simulated car incident.
Agriculture offers another niche. In Gols, in the Burgenland region, the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) is flying drones over vineyards to track the leafhopper responsible for the grapevine disease known as golden yellowing. An AI system analyses aerial imagery covering roughly 45 hectares to pinpoint infestation hotspots. Over the next three years, the project aims to prove how reliably the airborne search performs.
Egg: A Reminder of What's at Stake
Speed still matters. A surface fire at the Ifersguntenalpe in Egg, Vorarlberg, was spotted by a police helicopter in the early afternoon. Around 110 responders were needed to extinguish the blaze, which covered approximately 800 square metres. Authorities are investigating on suspicion of negligent arson.
