Significant breakthrough in early detection of forest fires
In the framework of the Interreg Sudoe SenForFire project, which aims, among other objectives, to develop wireless sensor networks for the early detection of forest fires, the first verification tests of the developed prototypes have started.
Several Spanish partners in the project, including the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona and the Institute of Physical and Information Technologies, both of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the University of Extremadura and the company Ray Ingeniería Electrónica, have designed and manufactured the first series of electronic fire detection modules based on low-cost sensors. Jesús Lozano, a researcher at the University of Extremadura (UEx), explained that ‘these sensors are capable of detecting gases such as CO (Carbon Monoxide), CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide), H₂ (Hydrogen), NO₂ (Nitrogen Dioxide) and O₃ (Ozone), as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)’. In addition, commercial sensors of various technologies have been employed, including electrochemical (EC), metal oxide semiconductor (MOS), photoionisation (PID) and infrared (NDIR), along with optical particulate matter (PM) sensors.
The initial tests, which have sought to evaluate the performance of these devices in different conditions and select the most suitable for early fire detection, have been carried out in the laboratory and in the open-air wind tunnel of the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA) of the CSIC (Madrid, November 2024), as well as in real conditions during a prescribed burn in Arenas de San Pedro (Ávila, 16 January 2025). ‘This last test has been carried out in collaboration with the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), a partner entity of the project’, Jesús Lozano points out.
According to the UEx researcher, ‘the results have been encouraging, highlighting the great sensitivity and speed of response of the optical particulate matter (PM) sensors and some gas sensors’. The speed and intensity of response varied according to the detection technology used, the proximity to the fire and the measurement method (with or without air sampling system). In particular, MOS (CO, NO₂ and O₃), EC (CO and VOCs) and PID (VOCs) sensors showed improved performance compared to NDIR CO₂ sensors.
‘This breakthrough is a key step towards more effective warning systems, capable of detecting fires in their early stages and improving the responsiveness to the risk of large forest fires facing the Sudoe territory,’ concludes the researcher.
SenForFire: European Innovation
Funded by the Interreg Sudoe 2021-2027 programme, SenForFire brings together a multidisciplinary team to design technological solutions to prevent and detect forest fires more effectively. Its partners include research centres (ITEFI, INIA-ICIFOR, IMB-CNM of CSIC, CIRIMAT and LAAS of CNRS), international universities (Extremadura, Évora, Coimbra and Toulouse), meteorological and detection agencies (AEMET and AR+I) and companies specialised in environmental monitoring (Ray Ingeniería Electrónica and Arantec).
It is also supported by public administrations at different levels, from MITECO to the Junta de Extremadura, Junta de Castilla y León, Diputación de Ávila and local entities such as the Municipality of Fundão and the Intermunicipal Community of Alto Minho. This collaborative approach aims to protect ecosystems and reduce the impact of fires in the Sudoe area, which covers Spain (except the Canary Islands), mainland Portugal, southern France and Andorra.
Contact
SenForFire Coordinator: Esther Hontañón Lavín| [email protected] | Instituto de Tecnologías Físicas y de la Información ITEFI. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC. Madrid.
