Electronic ‘noses’ help sniff out forest fires in Germany

Flames leap into the air in a patch of forest near Jüterbog, Germany. With the help of artificial intelligence, the sensor can tell the difference between a nascent wildfire or, for example, the fumes from a passing diesel truck. — dpa via AP

EBERSWALDE, Germany: Sensors that can sniff out a wildfire minutes after it starts are being trialled in Brandenburg, the German region most hit by forest fires.

In the heart of Eberswalde forest northeast of Berlin, Juergen Mueller coaxed flames out of a fire pit using highly flammable pine branches as kindling.