A Pano AI camera near Meeker could discern that flames were approaching an electricity transmission line this past summer when the Lee Fire rapidly damaged lands in Rio Blanco County.

Wildfire Mitigation Program Community Engagement Manager Steve Roalstad at Xcel Energy said that artificial intelligence-powered cameras operated by the Pano AI company for use in wildfire detection and situational awareness proved “very beneficial” for Xcel operations.

“It certainly gave us excellent situational awarenesses of how the fire was progressing so that we could make plans and do appropriate switching so that nobody lost power,” Roalstad explained.

With information from that Pano AI station, installed in August 2024 near Meeker, Xcel Energy staff were able to reroute power from that transmission line. That transmission section tripped offline, but no structural damage to the line or towers was caused by wildfire, Roalstad explained this week.

“The transmission line that tripped offline during the Lee Fire is a high-voltage transmission line that is built on steel towers,” Roalstad said. “Heavy smoke from the fire caused the line to trip offline.”

The Xcel representative was one of the speakers who presented an update to stakeholders during the Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Conference on Nov. 6 in Steamboat Springs. The event was presented by the nonprofit Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council.

So far, Xcel Energy has contracted with Pano AI to install three of the 360-degree camera stations in southern Routt County near Oak Creek and Yampa and northwest of Toponas. Pano officials reported that the system has provided 15 separate smoke alerts within Routt County, but some of those instances could be controlled fires or agricultural burns. In addition, five stations are installed in Moffat County.

A new Pano AI camera installation is underway at Storm Peak at Steamboat Resort. It should become active within the first quarter of 2026. Roalstad said Xcel currently has 123 Pano AI cameras active across Colorado to help the electricity provider oversee and protect assets and share wildfire smoke starts with Colorado emergency managers.

The cameras can search within a 10-mile radius, or farther depending on conditions. The camera stations’ remote monitoring technology is deployed on high vantage points to deliver information 24/7. The stations have a six-megapixel, dual-camera configuration with 30-times optical zoom capability.

If a camera spots smoke, the information goes to Pano Intelligence Center analysts to review and confirm incidents. If appropriate, an alert is relayed to a county emergency manager within five minutes, Roalstad said. Departmental fire chiefs also can sign up to receive a text or email notification with a link to the smoke location. Roalstad said if two Pano AI cameras can see the smoke, then first responder departments can receive longitude and latitude coordinates.

“I’m enthusiastic about the installation of Pano AI units,” said Josh Hankes, executive director of the Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council. “They have the potential to really give our first responders a jump on an ignition, especially in some of the more remote areas of the county. Response time can make a real difference.”

An active Pano AI location on Walton Peak, south of Rabbit Ears Pass, was installed this summer via Granby-based Mountain Parks Electric, which links the panoramic camera via the webpage MPE.wildfirewatch.com. A second Mountain Parks camera location will be installed this month adjacent to Winter Park Resort, said Aaron Street, Mountain Parks vice president of member relations.

John Fretwell, Oak Creek Fire Protection District wildland battalion chief, said he is “excited about the potential” for assistance from Pano AI cameras.

Routt County Emergency Operations Director David “Mo” DeMorat has had access to the Pano AI alerts for the three cameras online in Routt County for about four months. Of the smoke alerts provided so far, some also were called in by citizens.

The Xcel manager said the Pano AI cameras are a small portion of the energy company’s overall $1.9 billion 2025-2027 Wildfire Mitigation Plan aimed at reducing wildfire risk while promoting system resilience.

“We are invested, just like Yampa Valley Electric Association is, in our system to make it a lot more wildfire resistant. That includes replacing bare wire with covered wire, undergrounding, new components, making the system a lot more sensitive, and so on,” Roalstad said.

Roalstad showed stakeholders a map last week of the company’s greatest wildfire risk areas in Colorado, based on the location of transmission lines, indicated in bright red “Tier 3” areas spanning across large swaths of Moffat County from Craig to the southwest and spreading into Routt County through Hayden and into Steamboat Springs. The company’s designated Tier 3 areas are “where wildfire will likely rapidly become large, destructive or catastrophic events due to fuel continuity and population density.”

In response to an audience member’s question at the conference, Roalstad noted that the Xcel vegetation management program has increased its required foliage separation distance — from the previous 6 feet to 10 feet — from tree branches to distribution power lines. Additionally, branch overhangs over power lines are no longer allowed.

Xcel Energy serves 1.6 million electric customers and 1.5 million natural gas customers in Colorado and is the majority electric power supplier to co-operative Yampa Valley Electric Association.