Greetings Friends and Neighbors,

In late March, the Canyon Neighborhood Association and the Santa Fe Canyon Preservation Association joined forces with the Forest Stewards Guild on a campaign to raise money for an AlertWest state-of-the art fire detection camera on Picacho Peak. While many of us have worked to reduce the risk of our homes igniting during a wildfire, the camera was needed to address a critical gap in our protection: rapid detection of a wildfire after it starts. The goal was to have the camera operational in time for the highest risk months, May and June.

The response was extraordinary! Many thanks to all who helped.

Although a few operational and logistical issues are still being worked out, we’re excited to tell you the Picacho Peak Wildfire Detection Camera is up and running. This 24/7 camera joins the one on Tesuque Peak installed last year to create a rapid detection network covering much of our forests, watersheds, and neighborhoods, and enabling fire detections that are often more rapid and always more precise.

The camera works around the clock to scan the landscape for smoke plumes and heat signatures. Artificial intelligence filters-out false alarms (like smoke from chimneys) and flags potential fires based on images from the camera feed. Human technicians are alerted to confirm that a risk exists and then notify local and federal response agencies with precise fire locations.

Click here to learn more from The Greater Santa Fe FireShed Coalition about the camera network and how the camera works.

This system used by AlertWest has been successfully used in over 1000 locations across California and another 800 locations in Oregon, Nevada, and most recently Hawaii (following the disastrous fires on Maui). The system was developed in close cooperation with fire departments and local communities over eight years. Although New Mexico is a “late adopter” of the AlertWest technology, we are the beneficiaries of a great deal of hard work that preceded this project.

We encourage you to look at the camera feed. You will see that the Picacho Peak camera uses a relatively wide angle of view to monitor our forests and communities. The camera will zoom-in on a specific location when a smoke plume or heat signature is detected and it will remain fixed on that location to determine the fire location and to allow Santa Fe and Federal response agencies to monitor the fire’s behavior, dispatch the correct firefighting resources, and monitor if and how the fire is spreading. These agencies will return the camera to its normal position when they are assured the fire is under control. If there is concern that the fire may reignite, the camera will remain focused on the area for several hours. It is important to note that only authorized members of response agencies and fire departments can move the camera and change its focus.

Check out this infrared image of the "Penny Fire" from our fire cameras at work this past Monday evening (5/18/26).

On the first day of its operation, we digitally masked a city water facility close to Picacho (a security measure recommended by Homeland Security). A few days later a privacy concern was also addressed at a house close to the base of Picacho Peak.

We understand that some residents who live near the base of Picacho Mountain may have privacy concerns. To address these concerns, AlertWest can digitally mask areas through pixelization (blurring) of the images. Be aware that if your property is digitally masked, fire and smoke detection will be delayed because the camera cannot detect a fire until heat or smoke rises 30 – 40 ft. above the digital mask.

Check out the views from the camera here. If you would like to request digital masking through pixelization of your property, please send a message to santafefirecameras@gmail.com that includes your name, address, phone, email, property plat, and the name of your HOA, community, or neighborhood association. We will work with AlertWest to blur the image of your property.