EmberEye secures £1.5M in funding
Cambridge-based wildfire detection startup EmberEye has secured £1.5 million in funding to expand deployment of its fire detection technology across the UK and US.
In a field trial conducted with the Marin County Fire Department in California, the company’s system detected a fire in under 60 seconds from more than 100 metres away. According to EmberEye, the existing camera-based detection system used in the test failed to identify the fire.
Founded by electronics Engineer Enrico Miraglia Del Giudice and Stanford PhD student Kyle Nisbet, a specialist in wildfire modelling and data analysis, EmberEye develops ground-level infrared sensors designed to detect fires at ignition. The sensors are paired with an AI platform that assesses wildfire risk and identifies high-risk areas.
The company says its technology can detect fires within the first minute of ignition. EmberEye reports that the system has achieved a 100% detection rate across 20 field demonstrations in the UK and US, including trials with organisations such as the National Trust, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, the City of London Corporation and the Ministry of Defence.
The startup is targeting a growing challenge as wildfires become more frequent and intense in regions including North America, Australia and Europe. Rising temperatures and prolonged drought conditions have been linked to increased wildfire risk, leading to greater threats to communities, ecosystems and infrastructure.
Traditional wildfire detection methods often rely on spotting visible smoke or flames, which can allow a fire significant time to spread before it is identified. EmberEye’s approach focuses on detecting ignition at ground level while fires remain relatively small and potentially easier to contain.
The company cites modelling of the Pacific Palisades wildfire in California, which suggested that if the fire had been detected within two minutes of ignition, it would have covered less than half a hectare. By contrast, EmberEye says the fire was detected around 20 minutes later, by which point it had grown to approximately six hectares.
Seth Schalet of California Fire Safe Council said: “When it comes to wildfire danger, speed – not size – is the real threat to communities and infrastructure. Evidence indicates this trend will only accelerate. Fast fires put a premium on early detection, where every second counts, especially in the wildland urban interface (WUI). Any solution that reduces this can significantly change the outcome, and this is where EmberEye’s platform is focused. There is an urgent need for a cost-effective platform that detects in seconds and can be deployed at scale, quickly and easily. The EmberEye team is squarely focused on the mission of reducing the destructive impact of wildfire in WUI communities.”
Speaking about the California trial, EmberEye President Dominic Vergine said the company demonstrated its ability to detect a fire that had not been identified by the existing detection system. He added that the company is seeking further trials with public sector organisations, conservation groups and infrastructure operators across the UK and US ahead of the next wildfire season.
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