The Warning of the West: How The Fire Map Has Changed
For decades, wildfire was a regional, seasonal story. It happened in California, in the Pacific Northwest, in places with dense forests (Cornell University). It happened in late summer, in fall, in typically dry months (Western Fire Chiefs Association). And so, utilities in the Midwest, the Plains, and the Southeast watched from a distance—distance that no longer exists.
In March 2026, the Morrill fire in Nebraska burned over 640,000 acres of land and put seven counties into a state of emergency (Nebraska State Climate Office). Two years earlier, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas burned 1.1 million acres and killed more than 15,000 cattle (OroraTech). Three years before that, in December 2021, Colorado's Marshall Fire destroyed over 1,000 structures and caused more than $2 billion in damage (NOAA). Each of these rewrote the record books in places and seasons where no one saw fire of that magnitude coming.
According to the National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook, over 56% of the US is now in drought. Prolonged periods of abnormally low rainfall are developing across the Plains, the Rockies, the Southwest, and significant parts of the Southeast (NOAA's Seasonal Drought Outlook). Additionally, while it’s not unusual for grasslands to burn in the spring rather than in the summer like their western counterparts (The Guardian), Forest Service scientists found that fire seasons are now starting even earlier in the spring and extending even later into fall due to climate change and shifting weather patterns (NASA). Now, fire season starts May 1st.
So what are utilities doing?
The first step is investing in AI-powered tools. Platforms like Pano AI combine ultra-high-definition cameras, satellite data, and AI algorithms to detect smoke in its earliest stages. Arizona Public Service reported that Pano AI's system consistently detected fires before 911 callers—sometimes by 10 minutes or more (Scientific American). PG&E partnered with Overstory, an AI-powered monitoring platform that identifies hazard trees most likely to fall near power lines. The result: a nearly 50% drop in vegetation-related ignitions in 2025 compared to the previous year (Scientific American). These tools help utilities know what the risk landscape looks like and how to act accordingly.
The second step is communication: proactive outreach prepared before high-risk weather events. When Hawaiian Electric faced the aftermath of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century (U.S. Fire Administration), the utility launched a new Public Safety Power Shutoff program in 2024 (Hawaiian Electric), which notified customers across five islands via text, email, and voice calls in advance of high-risk weather events. The investment in proactive communication paid off: Hawaiian Electric earned the 2026 Bronze Emergency Management Award for customer communications from Chartwell (Chartwell).
For organizations ready to follow suit, here’s what we suggest:
Explain evolving wildfire risk in a way your customers understand. Clearly communicate how risk is changing, using straightforward messaging that helps customers, regulators, and media make sense of a new reality.
Make your prevention investments visible and credible. Early detection and advanced technology progress rarely reaches the public. Surface these efforts through strategic messaging and storytelling that demonstrate foresight and accountability.
Build crisis communication plans before you need them. Define in advance what they'll say, who will say it, and through which channels, so when wildfire occurs, a response is ready.
Help customers understand how to prepare and stay safe. Provide clear, practical guidance before high-risk periods so customers know what actions to take, what to expect, and how to respond if conditions worsen.
The map and the seasons may have changed, but so have the tools and the playbook for responding. Utilities that move early don't just protect their infrastructure—they build the kind of trust with customers and regulators that lasts long after the smoke clears.