Drones could soon be working together in swarms to put out flames before they become wildfires, UK researchers hope. A team of firefighters, scientists and engineers are working on a project they say will allow swarms of up to 30 autonomous planes to spot and extinguish fires by working collectively using artificial intelligence. Drones piloted by people are already used in firefighting, for example to detect hidden blazes and assess safety risks. The research is still in the test phase and has not been used on a wildfire, but the team claims it is the first to combine unpiloted drone technology with swarm engineering in the field of firefighting.

In September, after one of the most violent wildfire seasons in California history, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that would allow utility companies to charge customers for future legal settlements from the 2017 wildfires--even if they were the utility company's fault. It's meant to prevent Pacific Gas & Electric Co. from going bankrupt; as the AP reported, the company would have to pay billions of dollars if investigators found the company's equipment at fault for sparking the Tubbs Fire that killed 22 people in Santa Rose and made thousands more homeless. Consumer advocates have criticized it as a bailout, with utilities having to augment their efforts to reduce the risk of fires. Furthermore, the law requires to pay the entire cost of accidental fires if they fail to properly maintain electrical transmission stations and distribution power lines. After yet another devastating summer of flames raging through California's parched forests, utility executives are forced to figure out one thing: How can they limit the danger of electrical transmission equipment and distribution power lines igniting vegetation and sparking yet another devastating wildfire?